Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

न तिलाश्च घृतेनाक्ताः सुसमिद्धे हुताशने । हुता वै मन्त्रपूताश्च सर्वपापापनुत्तये

Transliteration

na tilāśca ghṛtenāktāḥ susamiddhe hutāśane | hutā vai mantrapūtāśca sarvapāpāpanuttaye

Translation

Auch opferte ich in das gut entfachte heilige Feuer keinen mit Ghee bestrichenen Sesam — durch Mantras gereinigte Gaben — zur Tilgung aller Sünden.

Word by Word

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• तिलाः: sesame seeds
• तिलाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (Masculine, Nom., Pl.)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• घृतेन: with ghee
• घृतेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: घृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Instr., Sg.)

• आक्ताः: smeared
• आक्ताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ + अञ्ज् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘smeared/anointed’ (Past passive participle, Masc., Nom., Pl.)

• सुसमिद्धे: well-kindled
• सुसमिद्धे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु + समिद्ध (प्रातिपदिक; सम्+इध् धातोः क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; विशेषण (Masculine, Loc., Sg.)

• हुताशने: in the fire (Agni)
• हुताशने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हुत + अशन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; ‘हुतं अश्नाति’ इति (Masculine, Loc., Sg.)

• हुताः: offered
• हुताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हु (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘offered’ (Past passive participle, Masc., Nom., Pl.)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• मन्त्रपूताः: purified by mantras
• मन्त्रपूताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक) + पूत (प्रातिपदिक; पू धातोः क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण (Masculine, Nom., Pl.)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• सर्वपापापनुत्तये: for the removal of all sins
• सर्वपापापनुत्तये: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + अपनुत्ति (प्रातिपदिक; अप+नुद् धातोः क्तिन्/क्तिन्-भाव)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचन; प्रयोजन-द्योतक दत्तिविभक्ति (Feminine, Dat., Sg.)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred fire altar burns brightly; the devotee, in remorse, recalls not offering ghee-anointed sesame into the flames with mantra, seeking purification in Kāśī’s atmosphere.

Characters & Entities

• Agni

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Mantra-guided offerings into fire are presented as potent purificatory acts that burn away accumulated wrongdoing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s sacred horizon is Kāśī; this verse is ritual-centric and does not name a specific tirtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Homa: offering ghee-anointed sesame (tila) into a well-kindled fire with mantras for pāpa-kṣaya (sin removal).