Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

मानसे पुष्करे चैव द्वारिके सागरे तथा । तीर्थे स्नात्वा फलं यत्स्यात्तत्स्याद्धर्मजलाशये

Transliteration

mānase puṣkare caiva dvārike sāgare tathā | tīrthe snātvā phalaṃ yatsyāttatsyāddharmajalāśaye

Translation

Quel que soit le mérite obtenu en se baignant au lac Mānasa, à Puṣkara, à Dvārakā et au tīrtha de l’océan, ce même mérite s’acquiert aussi au Dharma-jalāśaya, le réservoir du Dharma.

Word by Word

• मानसे: at Mānasa (lake)
• मानसे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (neuter loc. sg.); स्थान-नाम (Mānasa-sarovar)

• पुष्करे: at Puṣkara
• पुष्करे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (neuter loc. sg.)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• द्वारिके: at Dvārakā
• द्वारिके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वारिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (fem. loc. sg.)

• सागरे: in the ocean
• सागरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सागर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (masc. loc. sg.)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/प्रकारवाचक (likewise/also)

• तीर्थे: at a tīrtha
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (neuter loc. sg.)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्ना (धातु) → स्नात्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• फलम्: fruit
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• यत्: which
• यत्: Visheshana (Correlative/यद्-तद्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• स्यात्: would be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (optative, 3rd sg.)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• स्यात्: would be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (optative, 3rd sg.)

• धर्मजलाशये: at Dharmajalāśaya
• धर्मजलाशये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म + जलाशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (masc. loc. sg.); समासः—तत्पुरुष (धर्मस्य जलाशयः)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharma-jalāśaya

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Audience receiving the jalāśaya’s comparative glory (unspecified)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A tranquil reservoir in Kāśī with lotus-covered water; in the sky or reflected on the surface appear symbolic images: snow mountains and a pristine lake (Mānasa), Brahmā’s Puṣkara with a lotus, Dvārakā’s coastal temples, and the vast ocean waves—each ‘contained’ within the Dharma-jalāśaya reflection as the pilgrim bathes.

Characters & Entities

• Dharma-jalāśaya
• Mānasa (lake)
• Puṣkara
• Dvārakā
• Sāgara (ocean)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The text elevates Kāśī’s local tīrthas as spiritually equivalent to India’s most celebrated pilgrimage waters.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharma-jalāśaya (a Dharma-associated pond/reservoir in the Kāśī setting).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) at the Dharma-jalāśaya.