Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

आदौ धर्मनदः पुण्यो मिश्रितो धूतपापया । यया धूतानि पापानि सर्वतीर्थीकृतात्मना

Transliteration

ādau dharmanadaḥ puṇyo miśrito dhūtapāpayā | yayā dhūtāni pāpāni sarvatīrthīkṛtātmanā

Translation

First, the holy river Dharmanadā merged with Dhūtapāpā—she by whom sins are washed away, whose very nature is made the essence of all tīrthas.

Word by Word

• आदौ: in the beginning/at first
• आदौ: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी-एकवचन-रूपेण अव्ययीभूत (locative used adverbially); कालवाचक (at first/in the beginning)

• धर्मनदः: the river of Dharma (Dharmanadā)
• धर्मनदः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म-नद (प्रातिपदिक; धर्म + नद)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (Masculine, Nominative singular)

• पुण्यः: holy/meritorious
• पुण्यः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (Masculine, Nominative singular; adjective)

• मिश्रितः: mixed/combined
• मिश्रितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मिश्रि (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative singular)

• धूतपापया: with/through the sin-cleansing (river)
• धूतपापया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धूत-पाप (प्रातिपदिक; धूत + पाप)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (धूतानि पापानि यस्याः सा) (Feminine, Instrumental singular)

• यया: by which
• यया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun) (Feminine, Instrumental singular)

• धूतानि: washed away/removed
• धूतानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धू (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc plural)

• पापानि: sins
• पापानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), बहुवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc plural)

• सर्वतीर्थीकृतात्मना: by one whose self is made (as) all sacred fords
• सर्वतीर्थीकृतात्मना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व-तीर्थी-कृत-आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक; सर्व + तीर्थी + कृत + आत्मन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (one whose self has been made into/treated as all tīrthas) (Masculine, Instrumental singular)

Speaker

Skanda (beginning the explanatory narrative of Pañcanada’s formation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmanadā–Dhūtapāpā Saṅgama (within Pañcanada complex)

Type: sangam

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two personified rivers—Dharmanadā and Dhūtapāpā—meet in a luminous confluence; pilgrims stand with folded hands as the waters glow with sanctity.

Characters & Entities

• Dharmanadā
• Dhūtapāpā
• Pañcanada (implied confluence narrative)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrthas gain extraordinary power through sacred confluences; contact with such waters symbolizes and effects the washing away of sin and inner renewal.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The forming confluence that leads to Pañcanada Tīrtha in Kāśī, beginning with Dharmanadā joining Dhūtapāpā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Not stated as a command, but the language of ‘sins washed away’ strongly implies snāna (ritual bathing) and tīrtha-sevā at the confluence.