Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

तीर्थेंऽबरीषे तत्राहं नाम्नैवादित्यकेशवः । पातकध्वांतनिचयं ध्वंसयामीक्षणादपि

Transliteration

tīrtheṃ'barīṣe tatrāhaṃ nāmnaivādityakeśavaḥ | pātakadhvāṃtanicayaṃ dhvaṃsayāmīkṣaṇādapi

Translation

Am Ambārīṣa-tīrtha bin Ich als Ādityakeśava bekannt; und Ich vernichte die angehäufte Finsternis der Sünden — selbst durch einen bloßen Blick (darśana).

Word by Word

• तीर्थे: in the tīrtha
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7 विभक्ति), एकवचन

• अम्बरीषे: (called) Ambarīṣa
• अम्बरीषे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अम्बरीष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7 विभक्ति), एकवचन; तीर्थ-विशेषणरूपेण (place-name)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1 विभक्ति), एकवचन

• नाम्ना: by name
• नाम्ना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3 विभक्ति), एकवचन

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphasis)

• आदित्यकेशवः: Āditya-Keśava (name/title)
• आदित्यकेशवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आदित्य-केशव (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1 विभक्ति), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (आदित्यः केशवः इव/नाम)

• पातकध्वान्तनिचयम्: the mass of sin-darkness
• पातकध्वान्तनिचयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पातक-ध्वान्त-निचय (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2 विभक्ति), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पातकानां ध्वान्तस्य निचयः)

• ध्वंसयामि: I destroy
• ध्वंसयामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ध्वंस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमाने), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• ईक्षणात्: by (mere) sight
• ईक्षणात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईक्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5 विभक्ति), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थः ('from/through seeing')

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (even/also)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa context) speaking to Agastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ambārīṣa-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrims/devotees within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant Viṣṇu form named Ādityakeśava, halo like the sun; pilgrims approach at dawn; the ‘darkness of sins’ is visualized as shadow dissolving in golden light.

Characters & Entities

• Ambārīṣa-tīrtha
• Ādityakeśava

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine darśana at a Kāśī-tīrtha is celebrated as immediately purifying, dispelling sin like darkness before the sun.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ambārīṣa-tīrtha, where the deity is revered as Ādityakeśava.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Īkṣaṇa/darśana (seeing the deity) is itself stated as efficacious for pātaka-dhvāṃta-nāśa.