Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 64

Devanagari script

ततः कापिलधारं वै सुधाखनिरियं पुनः । ततः शिवगयाख्यं च ज्ञेयं तीर्थमिदं शुभम्

Transliteration

tataḥ kāpiladhāraṃ vai sudhākhaniriyaṃ punaḥ | tataḥ śivagayākhyaṃ ca jñeyaṃ tīrthamidaṃ śubham

Translation

Darauf wird es wahrlich „Kāpiladhārā“ genannt; wiederum ist dieser Ort selbst „Sudhākhani“, eine Mine des Nektars (amṛta). Sodann soll dieses glückverheißende tīrtha als „Śiva-gayā“ erkannt werden.

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रम/अनन्तरार्थक

• कापिलधारम्: ‘Kāpiladhāra’
• कापिलधारम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāpila-dhārā (कापिल + धारा; प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter; name used as neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; नाम (proper name)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Prayojaka-nipāta (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निश्चयार्थक-निपात (emphatic particle)

• सुधाखनिः: ‘Sudhākhanī’ (mine/source of nectar)
• सुधाखनिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sudhā-khani (सुधा + खनि; प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; नाम (proper name)

• इयम्: this (she/this one)
• इयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• पुनः: again; further
• पुनः: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, पुनरुक्ति/पुनरर्थक (adverb: again/further)

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रम/अनन्तरार्थक

• शिवगयाख्यम्: ‘Śivagayā-ākhya’ (named Śiva-gayā)
• शिवगयाख्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva-gayā-ākhya (शिव + गया + आख्य; प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; नाम (proper name)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयार्थक

• ज्ञेयम्: is to be known
• ज्ञेयम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jñā (ज्ञा धातु) + तव्यत् (तव्यत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त (gerundive), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘ज्ञातव्यम्’ (to be known)

• तीर्थम्: the tīrtha
• तीर्थम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘तीर्थम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम् (appositional)

• शुभम्: auspicious
• शुभम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण of ‘tīrtham’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāpiladhārā / Sudhākhani / Śiva-gayā (epithets of the same tīrtha)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The tank’s water is depicted as luminous nectar; a stream (dhārā) pours in; devotees perform pitṛ rites with black sesame; a subtle Śiva presence sanctifies the scene, suggesting ‘Śiva-gayā’.

Characters & Entities

• Kāpiladhārā
• Sudhākhani
• Śiva-gayā
• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The tīrtha is celebrated as both sweetly purifying (nectar-like) and especially potent for Pitṛ-related merit, like Gayā—yet situated in Śiva’s Kāśī.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

An auspicious Kāśī tīrtha known as Kāpiladhārā/Sudhākhani/Śiva-gayā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No step-by-step rite is given here; the name ‘Śiva-gayā’ strongly signals efficacy for śrāddha and Pitṛ-tarpaṇa.