Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 110

Devanagari script

अथ प्रातः समुत्थाय कृत्वा शौचाचमक्रियाम् । राज्ञ्या विनिर्दिष्टपथा ज्ञानवापीं नृपो ययौ

Transliteration

atha prātaḥ samutthāya kṛtvā śaucācamakriyām | rājñyā vinirdiṣṭapathā jñānavāpīṃ nṛpo yayau

Translation

Dann stand der König früh am Morgen auf, vollzog Reinigung und Ācamana (rituelles Wasserschlürfen) und begab sich—dem von der Königin gewiesenen Weg folgend—nach Jñānavāpī.

Word by Word

• अथ: then, now
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रमसूचक/आरम्भसूचक (indeclinable particle: then/now)

• प्रातः: in the morning
• प्रातः: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रातः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb: in the morning)

• समुत्थाय: having risen
• समुत्थाय: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+उत्+स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); ‘समुत्थाय’ = having risen; धातु: स्था, उपसर्ग: सम्, उत्

• कृत्वा: having performed
• कृत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); ‘कृत्वा’ = having done

• शौचाचमक्रियाम्: the cleansing-and-ācamana rite
• शौचाचमक्रियाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शौच + आचम + क्रिया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (शौचस्य आचमस्य च क्रिया) = the act of cleansing and sipping (ācamana)

• राज्ञ्या: by the queen
• राज्ञ्या: Karana (Instrument/Agentive means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राज्ञी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन (by the queen)

• विनिर्दिष्टपथा: (the king) whose route was indicated
• विनिर्दिष्टपथा: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विनिर्दिष्ट + पथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुषभावः (विनिर्दिष्टः पथः यस्य) ‘whose path was pointed out’; विशेषणं ‘नृपः’

• ज्ञानवापीम्: to the Jñānavāpī (well of knowledge)
• ज्ञानवापीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्ञान + वापी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (ज्ञानस्य वापी)

• नृपः: the king
• नृपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ययौ: went
• ययौ: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; ‘he went’

Speaker

Narrator (Skanda to Agastya, contextually)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jñānavāpī

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At dawn, the king rises, completes purification and ācamana, then walks through Kāśī’s lanes on the queen-indicated route toward the Jñānavāpī precinct.

Characters & Entities

• Jñānavāpī
• Mālyaketu
• Kalāvatī
• Kāśī (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Approaching a tīrtha is to be done with purity, discipline, and reverence—outer cleanliness supporting inner readiness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Jñānavāpī, a renowned sacred spot in Kāśī’s spiritual geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śauca (purification) and ācamana before proceeding to the tīrtha.