Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 47

Devanagari script

प्रत्यक्षतीर्थपाथोभिः पंचकुंभैर्मनोहरैः । सिद्धार्थाक्षतदूर्वाभिर्मंत्रैः स्वयमुपस्थितैः

Transliteration

pratyakṣatīrthapāthobhiḥ paṃcakuṃbhairmanoharaiḥ | siddhārthākṣatadūrvābhirmaṃtraiḥ svayamupasthitaiḥ

Translation

There were five delightful water-pots filled with water from manifest tīrthas, along with mustard seeds, unbroken rice (akṣata), and dūrvā grass—together with mantras as though present of themselves—by which the rite was arrayed.

Word by Word

• प्रत्यक्षतीर्थपाथोभिः: with water from visible/actual sacred fords
• प्रत्यक्षतीर्थपाथोभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रत्यक्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + पाथस्/पाथः (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे तृतीया-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; समासः—प्रत्यक्षतीर्थपाथस् = प्रत्यक्षाणि तीर्थानि तेषां पाथः (water from manifest/nearby tīrthas)

• पञ्चकुम्भैः: with five pots
• पञ्चकुम्भैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + कुम्भ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे तृतीया-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; द्विगु-समासः—पञ्चकुम्भ = पञ्च कुम्भाः (five pots)

• मनोहरैः: with charming (ones)
• मनोहरैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मनोहर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे तृतीया-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

• सिद्धार्थाक्षतदूर्वाभिः: with mustard seeds, unbroken rice, and durvā grass
• सिद्धार्थाक्षतदूर्वाभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिद्धार्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + अक्षत (प्रातिपदिक) + दूर्वा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे तृतीया-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः—सिद्धार्थाः च अक्षताः च दूर्वाः च (mustard seeds, unbroken rice, and durvā grass)

• मन्त्रैः: with mantras
• मन्त्रैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे तृतीया-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

• स्वयम्: by oneself; spontaneously
• स्वयम्: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; क्रियाविशेषणम् (adverb)

• उपस्थितैः: having appeared/present
• उपस्थितैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उप + स्था (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्तः—क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle); पुंलिङ्गे तृतीया-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; अर्थः ‘उपस्थित/आगत’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-tīrthas (Gaṅgā-ghāṭa tīrtha-jala)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣi-assembly (frame assumed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Five ornate kalaśas brimming with tīrtha-water, arranged symmetrically on a decorated altar; bowls of mustard seeds, unbroken rice, and dūrvā; mantra-scrolls or luminous syllables depicted as self-manifesting.

Characters & Entities

• Tīrtha (sacred waters)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography (tīrtha waters) and sacred sound (mantra) together sanctify action, showing dharma as both place-rooted and spiritually powered.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse highlights “tīrtha waters” in the Kāśī setting; specific tīrtha names are not given in this snippet.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Use of five kalaśas filled with tīrtha water, along with siddhārtha (mustard), akṣata (unbroken rice), and dūrvā grass—standard abhiṣeka/maṅgala upacāras with mantra.