Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 120

Devanagari script

तत्राभ्याशे स्कंदतीर्थं तत्राप्लुत्य नरोत्तमः । दृष्ट्वा षडाननं चैव जह्यात्षाट्कौशिकीं तनुम्

Transliteration

tatrābhyāśe skaṃdatīrthaṃ tatrāplutya narottamaḥ | dṛṣṭvā ṣaḍānanaṃ caiva jahyātṣāṭkauśikīṃ tanum

Translation

Ganz in der Nähe ist das heilige Skanda-tīrtha. Wer dort badet, der Beste der Menschen, und Ṣaḍānana, den sechsgesichtigen Skanda, erblickt, wirft den Leib ab, der durch Kuśikās sechsfache Hülle, die sechsfach begrenzende Bedingung, geformt ist.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• अभ्याशे: nearby, in the vicinity
• अभ्याशे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अभ्याश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• स्कन्दतीर्थम्: Skanda’s sacred ford
• स्कन्दतीर्थम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्कन्द + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समास: स्कन्दस्य तीर्थम् (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• आप्लुत्य: having bathed
• आप्लुत्य: Kriya (पूर्वकर्म/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्लु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); उपसर्ग: आ-; धातु: प्लु (1/भ्वादि), अर्थे: प्लवने/स्नाने

• नरउत्तमः: the best of men
• नरउत्तमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समास: उत्तमो नरः (कर्मधारय)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriya (पूर्वकर्म/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); धातु: दृश् (1/भ्वादि), अर्थे: दर्शने

• षडाननम्: the six-faced one (Skanda)
• षडाननम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: षट् + आनन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समास: षड् आननानि यस्य सः (द्विगु-समास; ‘six-faced’, Skanda)

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

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• जह्यात्: should abandon
• जह्यात्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; धातु: हा (3/जुहोत्यादि), अर्थे: त्यागे

• षाट्कौशिकीम्: the Ṣāṭ-Kauśikī (named)
• षाट्कौशिकीम्: Karman (Object-Qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षाट् + कौशिकी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समास: षाट्-सम्बन्धिनी कौशिकी (तत्पुरुष; ‘connected with Ṣāṭ/Śāṭ’)

• तनुम्: body
• तनुम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśī Khaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Skanda-tīrtha

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At a small tīrtha pool near Kāśī ghāṭas, a pilgrim emerges from the bath; ahead stands Ṣaḍānana Skanda with six radiant faces, spear (śakti), and peacock emblem; translucent layers peel away from the pilgrim’s form.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Ṣaḍānana
• Skanda-tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage actions—bathing at a tīrtha and divine darśana—purify the seeker and help transcend limiting identities.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Skanda-tīrtha located in the vicinity within Kāśī’s sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform snāna (ritual bathing) at Skanda-tīrtha and take darśana of Ṣaḍānana (Skanda).