Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 58

Devanagari script

तदग्रे ताम्रकुंडं च तत्र स्नातो न गर्भभाक् । विघ्नहर्ता गणाध्यक्षस्तद्वायव्ये सुविघ्नहृत्

Transliteration

tadagre tāmrakuṃḍaṃ ca tatra snāto na garbhabhāk | vighnahartā gaṇādhyakṣastadvāyavye suvighnahṛt

Translation

Devant se trouve le Tāmra-kuṇḍa. Celui qui s’y baigne n’entre plus dans le sein (il est affranchi de la renaissance). Au nord-ouest se tient Gaṇādhyakṣa, l’ôteur d’obstacles ; et là se trouve aussi Suvighnahṛt, le sublime destructeur des empêchements.

Word by Word

• तदग्रे: in front of that (place)
• तदग्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + अग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समासः; ‘तस्य अग्रे’ इति अर्थे, अव्ययवत् (locative sense)

• ताम्रकुंडम्: the Copper Pond
• ताम्रकुंडम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ताम्र-कुण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (ताम्रम् कुण्डम्)

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

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• स्नातः: (one who has) bathed
• स्नातः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘(यः) स्नातः’

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• गर्भभाक्: one who becomes pregnant/gets a womb (i.e., subject to rebirth)
• गर्भभाक्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गर्भ-भाज् (धातु/प्रातिपदिक-निर्माण)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘भाक्’ (भाज् धातोः क्विप्), ‘गर्भं भजते/प्राप्नोति’ इति अर्थे; ‘स्नातः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• विघ्नहर्ता: remover of obstacles
• विघ्नहर्ता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विघ्न-हर्तृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (विघ्नानां हर्ता)

• गणाध्यक्षः: chief of the gaṇas (Gaṇeśa)
• गणाध्यक्षः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गण-अध्यक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गणानाम् अध्यक्षः)

• तद्वायव्ये: to the northwest of that
• तद्वायव्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + वायव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समासः; ‘तस्य वायव्ये (दिशि)’ इति अर्थे, अव्ययवत् (locative sense)

• सुविघ्नहृत्: excellent remover of obstacles
• सुविघ्नहृत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सु- + विघ्न-हृत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (विघ्नान् हरति), ‘सु’ उपसर्गेण ‘अत्यन्तम्/शोभनम्’

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Tāmra-kuṇḍa

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahāmuni (sage interlocutor)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A copper-hued sacred pond (Tāmra-kuṇḍa) glows at dawn; pilgrims descend steps, water ripples; to the north-west, two Gaṇeśa shrines—Gaṇādhyakṣa and Suvighnahṛt—receive dūrvā and lamps.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Tāmra-kuṇḍa
• Gaṇādhyakṣa
• Suvighnahṛt
• Gaṇeśa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Bathing in certain Kāśī tīrthas and honoring their deities is taught as a direct means to remove obstacles and transcend rebirth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Tāmra-kuṇḍa, along with nearby directional shrines of Gaṇādhyakṣa and Suvighnahṛt.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) at Tāmra-kuṇḍa; the verse also maps nearby deities for darśana.