Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 61

Devanagari script

स चैवावभृथस्नातः स च गंगाजलाप्लुतः । विष्णुपादोदकं कृत्वा शंखे यः स्नाति मानवः

Transliteration

sa caivāvabhṛthasnātaḥ sa ca gaṃgājalāplutaḥ | viṣṇupādodakaṃ kṛtvā śaṃkhe yaḥ snāti mānavaḥ

Translation

That person is as though bathed in the avabhṛtha concluding bath, and as though immersed in the waters of the Gaṅgā—who, having prepared Viṣṇu’s foot-water, bathes with it from a conch.

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular), सर्वनाम (Pronoun)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Conjunction)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Nipata (Emphasis/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Emphatic particle)

• अवभृथस्नातः: bathed in the avabhṛtha (final ritual bath)
• अवभृथस्नातः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अवभृथ (प्रातिपदिक) + स्नात (स्ना-धातु + क्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past participle/क्त), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन, सर्वनाम

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Conjunction)

• गंगाजलाप्लुतः: immersed in Ganges water
• गंगाजलाप्लुतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक) + जल (प्रातिपदिक) + आप्लुत (प्लु-धातु + क्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past participle/क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• विष्णुपादोदकम्: water from Viṣṇu’s feet (caraṇāmṛta)
• विष्णुपादोदकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक) + पाद (प्रातिपदिक) + उदक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• कृत्वा: having made/after preparing
• कृत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कृ (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive)

• शंखे: in a conch
• शंखे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शङ्ख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन, सम्बन्धक (Relative pronoun)

• स्नाति: bathes
• स्नाति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद (Parasmaipada), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• मानवः: a man, human
• मानवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (within Kāśī) / Viṣṇu-pāda-udaka (pādukodaka)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At a Kāśī ghat, a devotee pours sanctified Viṣṇu foot-water from a conch over the head; the Gaṅgā flows behind, and a faint yajña-avabhṛtha motif (sacrificial pavilion) appears as a symbolic overlay.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Viṣṇu
• Śaṅkha (conch)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional sanctified water (viṣṇu-pādodaka) can confer the merit of major ritual baths and Gaṅgā-immersion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgā is explicitly invoked as the benchmark of purification, within the broader Kāśī sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna using viṣṇu-pādodaka, specifically bathing with water held in a śaṅkha (conch).