Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

कलेवरं पूतिगंधि सदैवाशुचिभाजनम् । सुतीर्थपुण्य पण्येन सम्यग्विनिमितं त्वया

Transliteration

kalevaraṃ pūtigaṃdhi sadaivāśucibhājanam | sutīrthapuṇya paṇyena samyagvinimitaṃ tvayā

Translation

Ce corps—malodorant et toujours réceptacle d’impureté—a été justement « refondu » par toi grâce à la précieuse « monnaie » du mérite acquis aux saints gués d’excellence (tīrtha).

Word by Word

• कलेवरम्: body
• कलेवरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलेवर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• पूतिगन्धि: foul-smelling
• पूतिगन्धि: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूति (प्रातिपदिक) + गन्धिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (Neuter, Accusative, Singular; adjective)

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kriyavisheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Sambandha/Emphasis (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• अशुचिभाजनम्: a vessel of impurity
• अशुचिभाजनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अशुचि (प्रातिपदिक) + भाजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• सुतीर्थपुण्य: merit of good pilgrimage-places
• सुतीर्थपुण्य: Sambandha (Genitival relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सु- (उपसर्ग/पूर्वपद) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषपूर्वपद (genitival determinative as prior member); अव्यक्त-विभक्ति (compound member)

• पण्येन: by the price/commodity (as payment)
• पण्येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन (Neuter, Instrumental, Singular)

• सम्यक्: properly
• सम्यक्: Kriyavisheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्यक् (अव्यय)
• Form: रीतिवाचक-अव्यय (manner adverb)

• विनिमितम्: made/constructed
• विनिमितम्: Karma (Object as PPP/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-नि-मा (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/कर्तृ), एकवचन (Pronoun; Instrumental, Singular)

Speaker

Dharmarāja (Yama)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-tīrthas (Gaṅgā-ghāṭas)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and ṛṣis (frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at a Gaṅgā-ghāṭa in Kāśī, body shown as shadowy/impure while a luminous stream of tīrtha-puṇya ‘recasts’ him into a radiant form; priests, lamps, and the river as purifier.

Characters & Entities

• Dharmarāja (Yama)
• Tīrtha (holy ford)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage-merit is treated as true wealth—capable of reforming one’s life despite the body’s inherent impurity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse speaks generally of “su-tīrthas,” within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī-centered sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied is tīrtha-sevā such as bathing, worship, and dharmic conduct at holy sites to accrue puṇya.