Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 87

Devanagari script

दुर्गाकुंडे नरः स्नात्वा सर्वदुर्गार्तिहारिणीम् । दुर्गां संपूज्य विधिवन्नवजन्माघमुत्सृजेत्

Transliteration

durgākuṃḍe naraḥ snātvā sarvadurgārtihāriṇīm | durgāṃ saṃpūjya vidhivannavajanmāghamutsṛjet

Translation

Nachdem man im Durgākuṇḍa gebadet und Durgā nach rechter Vorschrift verehrt hat—sie, die jedes Leid und jede Not vertreibt—wirft man die Sünde einer neuen Geburt von sich ab.

Word by Word

• दुर्गाकुंडे: in the Durgā-pond
• दुर्गाकुंडे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुर्गा (प्रातिपदिक) + कुण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (दुर्गायाः कुण्डे)

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया/Adverbial action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), पूर्वक्रिया; धातुः—स्ना (स्नान)

• सर्वदुर्गार्तिहारिणीम्: the remover of all distress in difficulties
• सर्वदुर्गार्तिहारिणीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + दुर्गा (प्रातिपदिक) + आर्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + हारिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (सर्वासां दुर्गाणाम् आर्तिं हरति इति)

• दुर्गाम्: Durgā
• दुर्गाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुर्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• संपूज्य: having duly worshipped
• संपूज्य: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया/Adverbial action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + पूज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), पूर्वक्रिया; धातुः—पूज्, उपसर्गः—सम्

• विधिवत्: according to rule
• विधिवत्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial qualifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of manner)

• नवजन्माघम्: the sin of (a) new birth
• नवजन्माघम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नव (प्रातिपदिक) + जन्म (प्रातिपदिक) + अघ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (नवस्य जन्मनः अघम्)

• उत्सृजेत्: should cast off / abandon
• उत्सृजेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उत् + सृज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; धातुः—सृज्, उपसर्गः—उत्

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context) to Agastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Durgākuṇḍa

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim descends the stone steps of Durgākuṇḍa at dawn, water shimmering; after snāna he turns toward the nearby Durgā shrine, offering red flowers and a lamp, while the goddess is envisioned as ‘sarvadurgārti-hāriṇī’.

Characters & Entities

• Durgā
• Durgākuṇḍa
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred bathing and properly performed worship in Kāśī are shown as purifying acts that dissolve deep-seated impurity and suffering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Durgākuṇḍa in Kāśī, praised for its power to aid purification when paired with Durgā-pūjā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing) at Durgākuṇḍa followed by vidhivat (rule-based) worship of Durgā.