Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

शुचिशुक्लचतुर्दश्यां पंचदश्यामथापि वा । कृत्वा सांवत्सरीं यात्रामनेना जायते नरः

Transliteration

śuciśuklacaturdaśyāṃ paṃcadaśyāmathāpi vā | kṛtvā sāṃvatsarīṃ yātrāmanenā jāyate naraḥ

Translation

Au quatorzième, ou bien au quinzième jour de la quinzaine claire du mois de Śuci, l’homme qui accomplit ce pèlerinage annuel obtient, par lui, le fruit spirituel annoncé.

Word by Word

• शुचिशुक्लचतुर्दश्याम्: on the pure bright fourteenth (tithi)
• शुचिशुक्लचतुर्दश्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुचि + शुक्ल + चतुर्दशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (विशेषण-समाहार: शुचौ शुक्लायां चतुर्दश्याम्)

• पञ्चदश्याम्: on the fifteenth (tithi)
• पञ्चदश्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्चदशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• अथ: then/also
• अथ: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conj./sequencer)

• अपि: also/even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle: also/even)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Alternative/विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (disjunctive particle)

• कृत्वा: having done
• कृत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (Gerund/absolutive)

• सांवत्सरीम्: annual
• सांवत्सरीम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सांवत्सरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण

• यात्राम्: pilgrimage/journey
• यात्राम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यात्रा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• अनेन: by this (means)
• अनेन: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• जायते: is born/comes to be
• जायते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (contextual attribution within Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogues)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sāṃvatsarī Kāśī-yātrā (annual pilgrimage in Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Muni (sage interlocutor)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A calendar-marked pilgrimage day in bright fortnight: devotees stream through Kāśī’s ghāṭs and lanes, carrying offerings; the moon is near-full, and the yātrā is depicted as a continuous procession linking shrines.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage undertaken with correct timing and method becomes a powerful yearly discipline that yields spiritual attainment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), through the notion of a prescribed annual yātrā circuit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform the annual yātrā on the bright-fortnight 14th or 15th tithi of the month Śuci.