Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 83

Devanagari script

ये व्याधयोपि दुःसाध्या बहिरंतः शरीरगाः । श्रद्धयेशोदकस्पर्शात्ते नश्यंत्येव नान्यथा

Transliteration

ye vyādhayopi duḥsādhyā bahiraṃtaḥ śarīragāḥ | śraddhayeśodakasparśātte naśyaṃtyeva nānyathā

Translation

Même ces maladies difficiles à guérir, qu’elles résident au dehors ou au dedans du corps, sont détruites par le contact, dans la foi, de l’eau du Seigneur — et non autrement.

Word by Word

• ये: which
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सम्बन्धे ‘व्याधयः’

• व्याधयः: diseases
• व्याधयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्याधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• अपि: even
• अपि: Modifier (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात, अप्यर्थे

• दुःसाध्याः: hard to cure
• दुःसाध्याः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुःसाध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘व्याधयः’ इत्यस्य विशेषण

• बहिः: externally
• बहिः: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: बहिः (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (adverb)

• अन्तः: internally
• अन्तः: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्तः (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (adverb)

• शरीरगाः: dwelling in the body
• शरीरगाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शरीर (प्रातिपदिक) + ग (कृदन्त, √गम्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (शरीरं गच्छन्ति/शरीरे गाः)

• श्रद्धया: with faith
• श्रद्धया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रद्धा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• ईशोदकस्पर्शात्: from the touch of the Lord’s water
• ईशोदकस्पर्शात्: Apadana (Cause/Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश (प्रातिपदिक) + उदक (प्रातिपदिक) + स्पर्श (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (ईशस्य उदकस्य स्पर्शः)

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘व्याधयः’ इत्यस्य पुनरुक्त-सूचक

• नश्यन्ति: perish
• नश्यन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• एव: certainly
• एव: Modifier (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात, अवधारणार्थक

• न: not
• न: Negator (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय

• अन्यथा: otherwise
• अन्यथा: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक अव्यय (adverb)

Speaker

Skanda (continued discourse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bhagavat-caraṇodaka (Śiva-pāda-udaka)

Type: tirtha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee touches sacred foot-water to the head and heart; dark, smoky forms symbolizing disease dissolve outward and inward, while a calm Śiva emblem (liṅga) stands in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Īśa (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śraddhā (faith) is the key that makes sacred contact transformative; the Lord’s sanctified water is presented as spiritually and bodily curative.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching aligns with Kāśī’s tīrtha-culture where sanctified waters and pāda-tīrtha are central to Śaiva devotion, though no single pond/ghāṭa is named.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Sparśa (touch/application) of īśodaka—sanctified water associated with the Lord—performed with faith.