Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 150

Devanagari script

तीर्थे कालोदके स्नात्वा कृत्वा तर्पणमत्वरः । विलोक्य कालराजं च निरयादुद्धरेत्पितॄन्

Transliteration

tīrthe kālodake snātvā kṛtvā tarpaṇamatvaraḥ | vilokya kālarājaṃ ca nirayāduddharetpitṝn

Translation

Après s’être baigné au tīrtha de Kālodaka et avoir offert sans tarder le tarpaṇa, puis en contemplant Kālarāja (Yama), on peut relever ses ancêtres de l’enfer.

Word by Word

• तीर्थे: at the sacred ford/place
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• काल-उदके: in the Kāla-water (sacred water)
• काल-उदके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक) + उदक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (कालस्य उदकम्)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• कृत्वा: having done
• कृत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• तर्पणम्: the offering of libations (tarpaṇa)
• तर्पणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तर्पण (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त-भाव) < तृप्/तर्प् (धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• अत्वरः: unhurried
• अत्वरः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अत्वर (प्रातिपदिक; अ-त्वर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (न त्वरते इति)

• विलोक्य: having seen
• विलोक्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-√लोक् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• कालराजम्: Kālarāja (Yama)
• कालराजम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कालराज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (कालस्य राजा)

• च: and
• च: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय (conjunction: and)

• निरयात्: from hell
• निरयात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निरय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• उद्धरेत्: should rescue, may lift out
• उद्धरेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद्-√हृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• पितॄन्: the ancestors
• पितॄन्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; पितृ-शब्द

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kālodaka-tīrtha

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and ṛṣis (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At a quiet Kāśī water-spot named Kālodaka, a pilgrim emerges from ritual bath, offers tarpaṇa with cupped hands; nearby stands a stern yet just figure of Yama (Kālarāja) as a shrine-icon; ancestral spirits are shown rising from darkness into light.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Kālodaka
• Kālarāja (Yama)
• Pitṛs

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s tīrthas are presented as powerful not only for personal merit but also for delivering one’s ancestors.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kālodaka tīrtha in Kāśī (Vārāṇasī).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna at Kālodaka and tarpaṇa for the pitṛs, performed promptly (atvaraḥ).