Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

मुनिर्नाम ददौ तस्यै धूतपापेति चार्थवत् । यन्नामोच्चारणेनापि कंपते पातकावली

Transliteration

munirnāma dadau tasyai dhūtapāpeti cārthavat | yannāmoccāraṇenāpi kaṃpate pātakāvalī

Translation

Der Weise gab ihr einen sinnreichen Namen: „Dhūtāpāpā“ – „die die Sünden abgeschüttelt hat“. Schon beim bloßen Aussprechen dieses Namens erbebt die Schar der Vergehen.

Word by Word

• मुनिः: the sage
• मुनिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (1st/Nominative), एकवचनम्

• नाम: by name
• नाम: Sambandha (Naming marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; नाम-शब्दः (quotative/‘by name’)

• ददौ: gave
• ददौ: Kriyā (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• तस्यै: to her
• तस्यै: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, चतुर्थी-विभक्तिः (4th/Dative), एकवचनम्; सर्वनाम

• धूतपापा: ‘Sin-washed-away’ (name)
• धूतपापा: Karma (Name given/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धूत (धू धातु से क्त) + पाप (प्रातिपदिक); ‘धूतपापा’
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (1st/Nominative), एकवचनम्; कर्मधारय-समासः (धूतानि पापानि यस्याः/या) नामरूपेण

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इति-शब्दः (quotative)

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

• अर्थवत्: meaningful
• अर्थवत्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अर्थवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (2nd/Accusative), एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (नाम्नः)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative pronoun/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (1st/Nominative), एकवचनम्; सम्बन्धक-सर्वनाम

• नाम: name
• नाम: Karta (Subject of ‘trembles’ via relative clause/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (1st/Nominative), एकवचनम्

• उच्चारणेन: by utterance/pronunciation
• उच्चारणेन: Karaṇa (Instrument/means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उच्चारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचनम्

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपि (even/also)

• कंपते: trembles
• कंपते: Kriyā (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कम्प् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम्; आत्मनेपदम्

• पातकावली: a row/series of sins
• पातकावली: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पातक + आवली (प्रातिपदिक); ‘पातकावली’
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (1st/Nominative), एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुष-समासः (पातकानाम् आवली)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced narrative voice in Kāśīkhaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dhūtāpāpā (as a personified purifier within Kāśī legend)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Vedaśiras performs a naming rite, bestowing ‘Dhūtāpāpā’; the very syllables appear as radiant script in the air while shadowy forms of sins recoil and tremble at the sound.

Characters & Entities

• Vedaśiras
• Dhūtāpāpā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Nāma-mahimā: a sacred name, charged with meaning and sanctity, is portrayed as powerful enough to shake and dispel sin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The immediate focus is the person/name Dhūtāpāpā within Kāśī-khaṇḍa; the larger sacred geography is Kāśī, famed for pāpa-kṣaya (sin-removal).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicit practice: nāma-ucchāraṇa (repetition/utterance of the sacred name) as a means of pāpa-kṣaya.