Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

प्राप्य वाराणसीं व्यासः स्नात्वा पंचनदे ह्रदे । श्रीमन्माधवमभ्यर्च्य ययौ पादोदकं ततः

Transliteration

prāpya vārāṇasīṃ vyāsaḥ snātvā paṃcanade hrade | śrīmanmādhavamabhyarcya yayau pādodakaṃ tataḥ

Translation

Parvenu à Vārāṇasī, Vyāsa se baigna dans l’étang de Pañcanada. Puis, après avoir vénéré le noble Mādhava, il s’avança afin d’obtenir le pādodaka, l’eau sacrée des pieds du Seigneur.

Word by Word

• prāpya: having reached/obtained
• prāpya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √āp (धातु) + pra- (उपसर्ग) ; prāpya (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive), क्रियाविशेषणभावः; ‘having obtained/reached’

• vārāṇasīm: Vārāṇasī (Kāśī)
• vārāṇasīm: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vārāṇasī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• vyāsaḥ: Vyāsa
• vyāsaḥ: Kartā (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vyāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• snātvā: having bathed
• snātvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √snā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive), ‘having bathed’

• paṃcanade: in Pañcanada (the place of five rivers)
• paṃcanade: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paṃcanada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः: pañca + nada (षष्ठी/कर्मधारय-प्रायः; ‘five rivers’); पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• hrade: in the lake
• hrade: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hrada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• śrīmanmādhavam: Śrīmān Mādhava (Vishnu)
• śrīmanmādhavam: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrīman + mādhava (प्रातिपदिकौ)
• Form: समासः: śrīman (श्रीमान्) + mādhava; पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• abhyarcya: having worshipped
• abhyarcya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √arc (धातु) + abhi- (उपसर्ग) ; abhyarcya (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive), ‘having worshipped’

• yayau: went
• yayau: Kriyā (Main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √yā (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• pādodakam: water from (the Lord’s) feet
• pādodakam: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāda + udaka (प्रातिपदिकौ)
• Form: समासः: pāda-udaka (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘of the feet’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• tataḥ: then/thereupon
• tataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb): ‘thereupon/from there/then’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Kāśī-khaṇḍa narrative frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pañcanada-hrada (Kāśī) and Śrīman-Mādhava-kṣetra within Kāśī

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Vyāsa arrives at Kāśī, bathes in a serene sacred lake (Pañcanada-hrada), then stands before Śrīman-Mādhava with folded hands, receiving/aspiring for the Lord’s pādodaka as attendants hold ritual vessels.

Characters & Entities

• Vārāṇasī
• Vyāsa
• Pañcanada (hrada)
• Mādhava (Viṣṇu)
• pādodaka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage in Kāśī is completed through purifying bath, deity-worship, and reverent reception of sanctified water—outer rites supporting inner purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vārāṇasī’s Pañcanada-hrada and the shrine of Mādhava (a Vaiṣṇava sacred presence within Kāśī).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing) at Pañcanada-hrada and arcana (worship) of Mādhava, followed by taking pādodaka (sacred foot-water).