Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 66

Devanagari script

यदह्नि तीर्थप्राप्तिः स्यात्ततोह्नः पूर्ववासरे । उपवासस्तु कर्तव्यः प्राप्ताह्नि श्राद्धदो भवेत्

Transliteration

yadahni tīrthaprāptiḥ syāttatohnaḥ pūrvavāsare | upavāsastu kartavyaḥ prāptāhni śrāddhado bhavet

Translation

Am Tag vor dem Tag, an dem man das Tīrtha erreichen soll, ist Fasten zu halten. Am Tag der Ankunft soll man Śrāddha vollziehen und den Verstorbenen Opfer darbringen.

Word by Word

• यत्: on which (day)
• यत्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-निर्देशक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• अह्नि: on the day
• अह्नि: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ahan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• तीर्थप्राप्तिः: arrival at a tīrtha
• तीर्थप्राप्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha + prāpti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (तीर्थस्य प्राप्तिः)

• स्यात्: should be / may occur
• स्यात्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ततः: thereafter / from that
• ततः: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रकारः—सम्बन्ध/अनन्तरार्थक (thereafter/from that)

• अह्नः: of the day
• अह्नः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ahan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• पूर्ववासरे: on the previous day
• पूर्ववासरे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pūrva + vāsara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (पूर्वः वासरः)

• उपवासः: fasting
• उपवासः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: upavāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• तु: indeed / but
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (contrast/emphasis particle)

• कर्तव्यः: to be done / obligatory
• कर्तव्यः: Vidheyavisheshana (Predicate adjective/विधेय-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛ (धातु) + tavya (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: तव्यत्-कृत्य (gerundive/obligatory), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (to be done)

• प्राप्ताह्नि: on the day of arrival
• प्राप्ताह्नि: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāpta (कृदन्त) + ahan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (प्राप्तम् अह्नि = प्राप्तेऽह्नि)

• श्राद्धदः: giver/performer of śrāddha
• श्राद्धदः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrāddha + da (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (श्राद्धं ददाति इति)

• भवेत्: should be / becomes
• भवेत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta-Kāśī (implied) / general tīrtha observance

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A questioning sage/assembly (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim approaches a river-ghāṭa at dawn after a preparatory fast; on arrival he offers water-libations and piṇḍas to ancestors, with priests and lamps near the steps.

Characters & Entities

• Tīrtha
• Upavāsa
• Śrāddha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha-journey is a disciplined vow: prepare with fasting and consummate the visit with rites that benefit the ancestors.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

General tīrtha-protocol in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa; applicable to Kāśī’s tīrthas as well as other sacred waters.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Upavāsa on the previous day before reaching the tīrtha, and śrāddha on the day of arrival.