Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 60

Devanagari script

कुरुक्षेत्रे नैमिषे च गंगासागरसंगमे । ग्रहणे श्राद्धतो यत्स्यात्तत्तीर्थे वार्षभध्वजे

Transliteration

kurukṣetre naimiṣe ca gaṃgāsāgarasaṃgame | grahaṇe śrāddhato yatsyāttattīrthe vārṣabhadhvaje

Translation

Welcher Lohn auch immer aus dem śrāddha in Kurukṣetra, in Naimiṣa, am Zusammenfluss der Gaṅgā mit dem Ozean und zur Zeit einer Finsternis erwächst—eben diese Früchte entstehen an diesem tīrtha des Vārṣabhadhvaja (Śiva).

Word by Word

• कुरुक्षेत्रे: at Kurukṣetra
• कुरुक्षेत्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kuru + kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (कुरूणां क्षेत्रम्)

• नैमिषे: at Naimiṣa
• नैमिषे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naimiṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय-निपात

• गंगासागरसंगमे: at the confluence of the Gaṅgā and the ocean
• गंगासागरसंगमे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṅgā + sāgara + saṅgama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (गङ्गायाः सागरस्य च संगमः)

• ग्रहणे: at an eclipse
• ग्रहणे: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: grahaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (काल-अधिकरण), एकवचन

• श्राद्धतः: from/through the Śrāddha (rite)
• श्राद्धतः: Hetu/Source (Ablatival/अपादान-भाव)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: śrāddha + tas (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (ablatival adverb: ‘from/by means of śrāddha’)

• यत्: whatever (result)
• यत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-प्रदर्शक (relative)

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

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma/Predicate (correlative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तद्-सम्बन्ध (correlative)

• तीर्थे: in this tīrtha (sacred place)
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• वार्षभध्वजे: O Vārṣabhadhvaja (Śiva)
• वार्षभध्वजे: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vārṣabha + dhvaja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (वृषभः ध्वजः यस्य)

Speaker

Śiva (Devadeva, Vārṣabhadhvaja)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vārṣabhadhvaja-tīrtha (Śiva-associated) in Kāśī

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage audience/inquirer

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A map-like sacred montage: Kurukṣetra field, Naimiṣa forest-wheel, Gaṅgā-sāgara confluence, and an eclipse disk appear as four symbolic emblems converging into a single Kāśī Śiva-tīrtha where śrāddha is performed.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Vārṣabhadhvaja)
• Kurukṣetra
• Naimiṣa
• Gaṅgā
• Sāgara (ocean)
• Grahaṇa (eclipse)
• Śrāddha
• Kāśī tīrtha (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s Śiva-tīrtha is proclaimed as a concentrated field of pilgrimage merit, matching multiple famed kṣetras and even eclipse-time potency.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Śiva-associated tīrtha in this adhyāya’s context—Kāśī’s Kāpilatīrtha/Kāpiladhārā sphere.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform śrāddha at this tīrtha to obtain the same fruits as śrāddha done at Kurukṣetra, Naimiṣa, Gaṅgāsāgara, or during a grahaṇa (eclipse).