Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

कलेवरं पूतिगंधि सदैवाशुचिभाजनम् । सुतीर्थपुण्य पण्येन सम्यग्विनिमितं त्वया

Transliteration

kalevaraṃ pūtigaṃdhi sadaivāśucibhājanam | sutīrthapuṇya paṇyena samyagvinimitaṃ tvayā

Translation

Dieser Leib—übelriechend und stets ein Gefäß der Unreinheit—ist von dir rechtens „neu gegossen“ worden durch die kostbare „Währung“ des Verdienstes, gewonnen an erhabenen heiligen Furtstätten (Tīrthas).

Word by Word

• कलेवरम्: body
• कलेवरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलेवर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• पूतिगन्धि: foul-smelling
• पूतिगन्धि: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूति (प्रातिपदिक) + गन्धिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (Neuter, Accusative, Singular; adjective)

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kriyavisheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Sambandha/Emphasis (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• अशुचिभाजनम्: a vessel of impurity
• अशुचिभाजनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अशुचि (प्रातिपदिक) + भाजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• सुतीर्थपुण्य: merit of good pilgrimage-places
• सुतीर्थपुण्य: Sambandha (Genitival relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सु- (उपसर्ग/पूर्वपद) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषपूर्वपद (genitival determinative as prior member); अव्यक्त-विभक्ति (compound member)

• पण्येन: by the price/commodity (as payment)
• पण्येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन (Neuter, Instrumental, Singular)

• सम्यक्: properly
• सम्यक्: Kriyavisheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्यक् (अव्यय)
• Form: रीतिवाचक-अव्यय (manner adverb)

• विनिमितम्: made/constructed
• विनिमितम्: Karma (Object as PPP/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-नि-मा (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/कर्तृ), एकवचन (Pronoun; Instrumental, Singular)

Speaker

Dharmarāja (Yama)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-tīrthas (Gaṅgā-ghāṭas)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and ṛṣis (frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at a Gaṅgā-ghāṭa in Kāśī, body shown as shadowy/impure while a luminous stream of tīrtha-puṇya ‘recasts’ him into a radiant form; priests, lamps, and the river as purifier.

Characters & Entities

• Dharmarāja (Yama)
• Tīrtha (holy ford)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage-merit is treated as true wealth—capable of reforming one’s life despite the body’s inherent impurity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse speaks generally of “su-tīrthas,” within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī-centered sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied is tīrtha-sevā such as bathing, worship, and dharmic conduct at holy sites to accrue puṇya.