Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

क्षीरोदाद्दक्षिणेभागे तीर्थं शंखाख्यनुत्तमम् । तत्र स्नातो भवेन्नूनं नाशंखादिनिधेः पतिः

Transliteration

kṣīrodāddakṣiṇebhāge tīrthaṃ śaṃkhākhyanuttamam | tatra snāto bhavennūnaṃ nāśaṃkhādinidheḥ patiḥ

Translation

Au flanc méridional de Kṣīroda se trouve le tīrtha incomparable nommé Śaṅkha. Celui qui s’y baigne devient assurément maître de trésors, tels les conques et autres richesses.

Word by Word

• क्षीरोदात्: from Kṣīroda (the Milk-ocean)
• क्षीरोदात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षीर (प्रातिपदिक) + उद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (क्षीरः उदः यस्य/क्षीरमय उदः) = ‘क्षीरोद’

• दक्षिणेभागे: in the southern part
• दक्षिणेभागे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक) + भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (दक्षिणः भागः)

• तीर्थम्: a tīrtha
• तीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• शंखाख्यनुत्तमम्: supremely excellent, called ‘Śaṅkha’
• शंखाख्यनुत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शंख (प्रातिपदिक) + आख्य (आ+ख्या-धातु, क्त; कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिकवत्) + अनुत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—‘शंखाख्यम्’ (शंख इति आख्यं) + ‘अनुत्तमम्’ (श्रेष्ठतमम्)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

• स्नातः: having bathed
• स्नातः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्ना (धातु) + क्त-प्रत्यय (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगे ‘स्नानं कृतवान्’

• भवेत्: would become / may become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• नूनम्: surely
• नूनम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नूनम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक (particle of certainty)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• अशंखादिनिधेः: of the treasure of non-conches etc. (i.e., of a treasure excluding conches, etc.)
• अशंखादिनिधेः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अ (नञ्-प्रत्यय) + शंख (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + निधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; समासः—नञ्-तत्पुरुषः (अशंखः) + ‘आदि’ समाहारसूचक + तत्पुरुषः (…निधिः)

• पतिः: lord, master
• पतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (contextual continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śaṅkha-tīrtha

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A southern-side tīrtha with a prominent conch motif carved in stone; a bather steps into the water as attendants hold a white conch and a treasure-casket symbolically; the atmosphere suggests auspiciousness and abundance.

Characters & Entities

• Kṣīroda/Kṣīrābdhi
• Śaṅkha tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī tīrthas bestow both worldly well-being and spiritual uplift; dharmic acts can harmonize prosperity with pilgrimage.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śaṅkha-named tīrtha, located to the south of the Kṣīroda/Kṣīrābdhi tīrtha-zone.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) at Śaṅkha tīrtha, with a stated fruit of lordship over treasures.