Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 46

Devanagari script

ततो भैरवतीर्थं च महाघौघक्षयप्रदम् । चतुरर्थोदयकरं सर्वविघ्ननिवारणम्

Transliteration

tato bhairavatīrthaṃ ca mahāghaughakṣayapradam | caturarthodayakaraṃ sarvavighnanivāraṇam

Translation

Then comes the Bhairava Tīrtha, which destroys torrents of great sins. It brings about the rise of the four aims of life and wards off every obstacle.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = Indeclinable adverb; अनन्तरम् (thereafter)

• bhairavatīrtham: Bhairava-tīrtha
• bhairavatīrtham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhairava + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन = Neuter, Accusative singular; समासः: भैरवस्य तीर्थम् (Bhairava’s tīrtha)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक) = Conjunction ‘and’

• mahāghaughakṣayapradam: granting destruction of masses of great sins
• mahāghaughakṣayapradam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā + agha + ogha + kṣaya + prada (प्रातिपदिक); √dā (धातु) + pra + ka (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (bhairavatīrtham) = Neuter Accusative singular adjective; समासः: महाघौघस्य क्षयं प्रददाति इति (giver of destruction of torrents of great sins)

• caturarthodayakaram: causing the rise of the four aims (dharma etc.)
• caturarthodayakaram: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catur + artha + udaya + kara (प्रातिपदिक); √kṛ (धातु) + aṇ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (bhairavatīrtham) = Neuter Accusative singular adjective; समासः: चतुर्णाम् अर्थानाम् उदयं करोति (causes rise of the four aims)

• sarvavighnanivāraṇam: remover of all obstacles
• sarvavighnanivāraṇam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva + vighna + nivāraṇa (प्रातिपदिक); ni-√vṛ (धातु) + lyuṭ (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (bhairavatīrtham) = Neuter Accusative singular adjective; समासः: सर्वेषां विघ्नानां निवारणम् (removal of all obstacles)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bhairava Tīrtha

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A fierce yet protective Bhairava presence near a sacred water spot; devotees bathe, then proceed with lamps and offerings; the mood is powerful—fear dissolves, obstacles fall away.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Bhairava
• Bhairava Tīrtha
• Puruṣārthas (Dharma, Artha, Kāma, Mokṣa)
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Bhairava’s sacred site is celebrated as both purifier and protector—granting holistic wellbeing across dharma, prosperity, desire, and liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Bhairava Tīrtha in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse implies tīrtha-sevā (visiting/bathing); it explicitly highlights the fruits—sin-destruction and obstacle-removal.