Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 94

Devanagari script

प्रातःसध्याकरोम्येव सदोंकारनिकेतने । तत्रैकापि कृता संध्या सर्वपातककृंतनी

Transliteration

prātaḥsadhyākaromyeva sadoṃkāraniketane | tatraikāpi kṛtā saṃdhyā sarvapātakakṛṃtanī

Translation

Am Morgen verrichte ich die sandhyā in der stets gegenwärtigen Wohnstatt des Oṃkāra. Selbst eine einzige dort vollzogene sandhyā schneidet alle Sünden ab.

Word by Word

• प्रातः: in the morning
• प्रातः: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time adjunct/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रातः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of time: 'in the morning')

• संध्या: sandhyā worship
• संध्या: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संध्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (understood with करोमि; feminine accusative singular)

• करोमि: I do / I perform
• करोमि: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), उत्तम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (1st person singular)

• एव: indeed / only
• एव: Emphasis (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphatic particle)

• सद्: in the true/holy
• सद्: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (neuter locative singular; qualifying निकेतने)

• ओंकारनिकेतने: in the abode of Oṃkāra
• ओंकारनिकेतने: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ओंकार + निकेतन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (ओंकारस्य निकेतनम्) (neuter locative singular)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location adjunct/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (adverb: 'there')

• एका: one
• एका: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (feminine nominative singular)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अपि-कार (particle: 'even/also')

• कृता: performed
• कृता: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि/भूतकर्म (past passive participle: 'done')

• संध्या: sandhyā (worship)
• संध्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संध्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (feminine nominative singular)

• सर्वपातककृंतनी: the cutter-off of all sins
• सर्वपातककृंतनी: Viśeṣaṇa (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + पातक + कृंतनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (सर्वाणि पातकानि कृन्तति इति) (feminine nominative singular adjective)

Speaker

Śiva (probable due to first-person ‘I perform’; within Kāśī shrine-ritual catalog)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Oṃkāra-niketana

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Dawn light over Kāśī: a small shrine marked by the symbol Oṃ, a devotee seated with kuśa grass, performing arghya toward the rising sun, with temple spire silhouettes and faint Ganga mist.

Characters & Entities

• Oṃkāra-niketana
• Sandhyā
• Pātaka (sins)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Regular worship (sandhyā) becomes extraordinarily purifying when performed at Kāśī’s Oṃkāra-related sacred seat.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ‘Oṃkāra-niketana’ in Kāśī—an Oṃkāra/Śiva locus associated with potent purification.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Morning sandhyā at the Oṃkāra-niketana; even one performance is said to destroy all sins.