Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

सचक्र शालग्रामस्य शंखेन स्नापितस्य च । अद्भिः पादोदकस्यांबु पिबन्नमृततां व्रजेत्

Transliteration

sacakra śālagrāmasya śaṃkhena snāpitasya ca | adbhiḥ pādodakasyāṃbu pibannamṛtatāṃ vrajet

Translation

Qui boit l’eau de pādodaka—l’eau ayant servi à baigner le Śālagrāma marqué du disque, baigné au moyen d’une conque—parvient à l’immortalité (amṛtatva).

Word by Word

• स-चक्र: with the discus-mark
• स-चक्र: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स (अव्यय/उपसर्गसदृश) + चक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन-समर्थ (विशेषणरूपेण); समासः—कर्मधारयः (‘चक्रयुक्तः’)

• शालग्रामस्य: of the Śālagrāma (stone)
• शालग्रामस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शालग्राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• शंखेन: with a conch
• शंखेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शंख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन

• स्नापितस्य: of (that) bathed
• स्नापितस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: णिच्-प्रत्ययान्त causative + क्त (PPP/क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; ‘of (that which is) bathed/washed’

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• अद्भिः: with waters
• अद्भिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अप्/अद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (अप्), तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; ‘with waters’

• पाद-उदकस्य: of the foot-water
• पाद-उदकस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाद (प्रातिपदिक) + उदक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• अम्बु: water
• अम्बु: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अम्बु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• पिबन्: (one) drinking
• पिबन्: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पा (धातु)
• Form: शतृ (Present Active Participle/शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘drinking’

• अमृतताम्: immortality
• अमृतताम्: Karma (Goal as object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अमृतता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• व्रजेत्: should attain/go to
• व्रजेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्रज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Viṣṇu-Pādodaka (Śālagrāma-snāpana pādodaka)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A Śālagrāma stone with cakra-mark rests on a pedestal; a priest pours water from a conch over it; devotees collect the dripping pādodaka in a small cup and sip it, with a luminous aura suggesting amṛta.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Śālagrāma
• Śaṅkha (conch)
• Sudarśana-cakra (discus mark)
• Pādodaka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Consecrated water from Viṣṇu worship—especially Śālagrāma abhiṣeka—is treated as life-giving nectar, pointing to liberation and enduring spiritual life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Pādodaka-tīrtha/Viṣṇupādodaka context in Kāśī; additionally, it extols Śālagrāma-pādodaka as supremely sanctifying.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śālagrāma snāna (abhiṣeka) with a conch and drinking the resulting pādodaka.