Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

प्रत्यब्दं निर्मलानि स्युस्तीर्थराज समागमात् । प्रयागश्चापि तीर्थेंद्रः सर्वतीर्थार्पितं मलम्

Transliteration

pratyabdaṃ nirmalāni syustīrtharāja samāgamāt | prayāgaścāpi tīrtheṃdraḥ sarvatīrthārpitaṃ malam

Translation

Jahr um Jahr werden sie durch die Begegnung mit dem König der Tīrthas rein. Und Prayāga, der Herr unter den Tīrthas, nimmt die Unreinheit auf, die von allen anderen heiligen Stätten dargebracht wird.

Word by Word

• प्रत्यब्दम्: every year
• प्रत्यब्दम्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रति (अव्यय) + अब्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्यय (adverb of time)

• निर्मलानि: pure/clean
• निर्मलानि: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्मल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन (plural)

• स्युः: may become/are (in sense)
• स्युः: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (plural)

• तीर्थराज: O king of tirthas
• तीर्थराज: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ + राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (‘तीर्थानां राजा’); सम्बोधन/प्रथमा एकवचन रूप (vocative/nominative sg)

• समागमात्: from (the) meeting/coming together
• समागमात्: Apadana (Cause/Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सम् + आ + गम् (धातु) → समागम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), पञ्चमी (5th case/ablative), एकवचन (singular)

• प्रयागः: Prayaga
• प्रयागः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रयाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन (singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• अपि: also/even
• अपि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• तीर्थेन्द्रः: the lord of tirthas
• तीर्थेन्द्रः: Samanaadhikarana (Predicate nominative/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ + इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन (singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (‘तीर्थाणाम् इन्द्रः’)

• सर्वतीर्थार्पितम्: offered/assigned by all tirthas
• सर्वतीर्थार्पितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + तीर्थ + अर्पित (कृदन्त, √अर्प् धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), एकवचन (singular); भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle) ‘अर्पित’

• मलम्: impurity
• मलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), एकवचन (singular)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa typically Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prayāga (Tīrtharāja)

Type: sangam

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Personified tīrthas arrive as radiant sages/deities to Prayāga, offering their ‘mala’ like dark smoke dissolving into the luminous confluence; Prayāga stands enthroned as Tīrtharāja.

Characters & Entities

• Prayāga
• Tīrtharāja (King of tīrthas)
• Tīrthendra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holiness is portrayed as dynamic and relational: Prayāga is the supreme purifier, renewing other tīrthas and bearing away accumulated defilements.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prayāga, explicitly titled Tīrtharāja and Tīrthendra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An annual cycle of tīrtha-merit is implied, reinforcing yearly pilgrimage and Māhātmya-based observances centered on Prayāga.