Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 75

Devanagari script

अस्मिंस्तीर्थे महापुण्ये ये स्नास्यंतीह मानवाः । पिंडांश्च निर्वपिष्यंति संध्यातर्पणपूर्वकम्

Transliteration

asmiṃstīrthe mahāpuṇye ye snāsyaṃtīha mānavāḥ | piṃḍāṃśca nirvapiṣyaṃti saṃdhyātarpaṇapūrvakam

Translation

In this supremely meritorious tīrtha, those who bathe here—and then, after performing the sandhyā rites and the libations (tarpaṇa), offer piṇḍas—gain great merit through these ancestral offerings.

Word by Word

• अस्मिन्: in this
• अस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक; नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचनम्; locative singular (in this)

• तीर्थे: at the sacred ford/place of pilgrimage
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचनम्; locative singular

• महापुण्ये: greatly meritorious
• महापुण्ये: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā-puṇya (प्रातिपदिक; महा + पुण्य)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचनम्; adjective agreeing with तीर्थे

• ये: who (those who)
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुल्लिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचनम्; nominative plural

• स्नास्यन्ति: will bathe
• स्नास्यन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √snā (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Future/भविष्यत्), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd), बहुवचनम्; they will bathe

• इह: here
• इह: Desha-adhikarana (Locative sense/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• मानवाः: people, men
• मानवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mānava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचनम्; nominative plural

• पिण्डान्: rice-balls (funeral offerings)
• पिण्डान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: piṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचनम्; accusative plural

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• निर्वपिष्यन्ति: will offer (as oblations)
• निर्वपिष्यन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: nir-√vap (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Future/भविष्यत्), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd), बहुवचनम्; they will offer/scatter (as oblation)

• संध्यातर्पणपूर्वकम्: preceded by twilight worship and tarpaṇa
• संध्यातर्पणपूर्वकम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial qualifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saṃdhyā-tarpaṇa-pūrvaka (प्रातिपदिक; संध्या + तर्पण + पूर्वक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचनम्; adverbial accusative used as qualifier of action: ‘with/preceded by’

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Piśācamocana

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at a Kāśī ghāṭa performs snāna, then saṃdhyā with arghya, then offers tarpaṇa and places piṇḍas on darbha near the water’s edge; priests and lamps nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Piśācamocana Tīrtha
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Piṇḍa
• Saṃdhyā
• Tarpaṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual purity and ancestral duty (pitṛ-kārya) performed at a powerful tīrtha multiplies merit and supports dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A highly meritorious tīrtha in Kāśī, contextually the Piśācamocana Tīrtha of Vārāṇasī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing), followed by saṃdhyā observance and tarpaṇa, and then piṇḍa-offering for ancestors.