Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 58

Devanagari script

अतश्चित्रपटीस्पर्शात्परितापं विहास्यति । वाक्याद्बुद्धिशरीरिण्यास्ततस्तत्परिचारिकाः

Transliteration

ataścitrapaṭīsparśātparitāpaṃ vihāsyati | vākyādbuddhiśarīriṇyāstatastatparicārikāḥ

Translation

Darum wird sie durch die Berührung jenes bemalten Tuches die brennende Plage abstreifen. Dann handelten, auf das Wort der weisheitsleibigen Dame hin, ihre Dienerinnen entsprechend.

Word by Word

• अतः: therefore, from that
• अतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अतः (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतुवाचक-अव्यय (therefore/from this)

• चित्रपटीस्पर्शात्: from the touch of the painted cloth
• चित्रपटीस्पर्शात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चित्रपटी-स्पर्श (प्रातिपदिक); चित्रपटी (प्रातिपदिक) + स्पर्श (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन

• परितापम्: burning pain, torment
• परितापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परिताप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• विहास्यति: will abandon, will leave off
• विहास्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हा (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; उपसर्ग: वि-

• वाक्यात्: from (her) words, due to the statement
• वाक्यात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाक्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• बुद्धिशरीरिण्याः: of the one embodied as intellect (Buddhi)
• बुद्धिशरीरिण्याः: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बुद्धि-शरीरिणी (प्रातिपदिक); बुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक) + शरीरिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रम/हेतुवाचक-अव्यय (then/thereupon)

• तत्परिचारिकाः: her attendants
• तत्परिचारिकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तत्-परिचारिका (प्रातिपदिक); तत् (सर्वनाम) + परिचारिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration, typically Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Attendants, following the instruction of a wise lady, bring the painted cloth close so the afflicted woman may touch it; the ‘heat’ of suffering is visually contrasted with a cooling aura around the panel.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Kalāvatī
• Jñānavāpī (contextual)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Contact with sanctified symbols (sparśa) can transform suffering into clarity when aligned with sacred intent.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader passage glorifies Kāśī, moving toward Jñānavāpī’s revelatory power.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A devotional act is implied: touching (sparśa) a sanctified representation as part of the remedial sacred process.