Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 120

Devanagari script

स्नात्वा पंचनदे तीर्थे कृत्वा च पितृतर्पणम् । बिंदुमाधवमभ्यर्च्य न भूयो जन्मभाग्भवेत्

Transliteration

snātvā paṃcanade tīrthe kṛtvā ca pitṛtarpaṇam | biṃdumādhavamabhyarcya na bhūyo janmabhāgbhavet

Translation

Wer im Pañcanada-Tīrtha gebadet, die Ahnenopfer dargebracht und Bindumādhava verehrt hat, wird nicht wieder Teilhaber an neuer Geburt.

Word by Word

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Kriya (Gerund/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund), पूर्वकालिक; ‘having bathed’

• पञ्चनदे: at Pañcanada
• पञ्चनदे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च-नद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (पञ्च नद्यः यस्मिन्)

• तीर्थे: in the sacred ford
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• कृत्वा: having performed
• कृत्वा: Kriya (Gerund/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund), पूर्वकालिक; ‘having done’

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• पितृतर्पणम्: offering to the ancestors
• पितृतर्पणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ-तर्पण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पितॄणां तर्पणम्)

• बिन्दुमाधवम्: Bindu-Mādhava (Viṣṇu)
• बिन्दुमाधवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बिन्दु-माधव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; नाम (Viṣṇu)

• अभ्यर्च्य: having worshipped
• अभ्यर्च्य: Kriya (Gerund/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि-√अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund), पूर्वकालिक; ‘having worshipped’

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation)

• भूयः: again
• भूयः: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भूयस् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरर्थक (again/further)

• जन्मभाग्: one who undergoes birth
• जन्मभाग्: Karta (Predicate noun/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जन्म-भागिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘जन्म’ + ‘भागिन्’ (one who partakes of birth)

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्/लिङ्-लकार (optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda (narrative continuation; speaker not marked in this verse snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pañcanada Tīrtha

Type: ghat/tirtha (five-stream confluence symbolism)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage-inquirer (traditional frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim bathes at Pañcanada, offers tarpaṇa with cupped hands to ancestors, then approaches the Bindumādhava image with tulasī and lamps; the scene is calm, luminous, and liberative.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Pañcanada Tīrtha
• Bindumādhava (Viṣṇu)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī integrates devotion, ancestral duty, and tīrtha-bathing—dharma performed in a sacred place culminates in liberation (mokṣa).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Pañcanada Tīrtha in Kāśī, together with the shrine of Bindumādhava.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna at Pañcanada, Pitṛ-tarpaṇa (ancestral offerings), and arcana (worship) of Bindumādhava.