Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 89

Devanagari script

एवं सर्वासु तिथिषु क्रमस्नायी नरोत्तमः । आशुक्लपक्षदशमि प्रतिजन्माघमुत्सृजेत्

Transliteration

evaṃ sarvāsu tithiṣu kramasnāyī narottamaḥ | āśuklapakṣadaśami pratijanmāghamutsṛjet

Translation

So wirft an allen tithi der beste der Menschen, der der rechten Reihenfolge gemäß badet, die Sünde jeder Geburt ab — bis zum zehnten Tag der lichten Monatshälfte.

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb)

• सर्वासु: in all
• सर्वासु: Adhikaraṇa (Locative qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), बहुवचन; ‘तिथिषु’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• तिथिषु: on the tithis (lunar days)
• तिथिषु: Adhikaraṇa (Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिथि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), बहुवचन

• क्रमस्नायी: one who bathes in sequence (as prescribed)
• क्रमस्नायी: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of नरोत्तमः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्रम + स्नायी (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘स्नायी’ = स्ना (धातु) + णिनि/इन्-प्रत्यय (agent noun: bather); समासः तत्पुरुषः (क्रमेण स्नायी)

• नरोत्तमः: the best of men
• नरोत्तमः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (उत्तमः नरः)

• आशुक्लपक्षदशमि: on the tenth (tithi) of the dark fortnight
• आशुक्लपक्षदशमि: Adhikaraṇa (Implied time reference)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आ + शुक्ल + पक्ष + दशमी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st) एकवचन (सम्बोधन/निर्देश-रूपेण); समासः तत्पुरुषः— ‘आ’ उपसर्गसदृश-पूर्वपदेन ‘आशुक्ल’ (अशुक्ल/कृष्ण) पक्षस्य दशमी; तिथि-विशेषः

• प्रतिजन्म: in each birth
• प्रतिजन्म: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रति (अव्यय) + जन्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समासः; अव्ययत्वेन प्रयोगः; अर्थः ‘in each birth’

• अघम्: sin
• अघम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अघ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• उत्सृजेत्: should cast off
• उत्सृजेत्: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उत् + सृज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; उपसर्गः उत्-; अर्थः ‘should abandon/cast off’

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A montage-like procession of a pilgrim bathing day after day at different Kāśī waters, with a lunar calendar strip marking tithis from Pratipadā to Daśamī; the pilgrim’s aura becomes progressively brighter.

Characters & Entities

• Śukla Pakṣa
• Daśamī
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steady, disciplined practice (regular bathing aligned with tithis) is praised as a dharmic method to steadily uproot karmic impurity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse continues the Kāśī tīrtha-bathing framework centered around Daśāśvamedha/Rudra-related waters.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Kramasnāna—bathing in a prescribed sequence across the tithis up to Śukla Daśamī.