Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

स्नात्वोत्तरवहायां च धर्मेशं परितः स्थितः । आराधयन्महादेवं ब्रह्मद्वत्याप नुत्तये

Transliteration

snātvottaravahāyāṃ ca dharmeśaṃ paritaḥ sthitaḥ | ārādhayanmahādevaṃ brahmadvatyāpa nuttaye

Translation

北へ流れるウッタラヴァーヒニーで沐浴し、ダルメーシュヴァラの周りに立って、ブラフマ殺しの罪を除かんとマハーデーヴァを礼拝した。

Word by Word

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive) — ‘having bathed’

• उत्तरवहायाम्: in the north-flowing (river)
• उत्तरवहायाम्: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उत्तरवहा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — Locative Singular; कर्मधारयः ‘उत्तरं वहति या’ (north-flowing river)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• धर्मेशम्: Dharmeśa (Lord of Dharma)
• धर्मेशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्मेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Accusative Singular; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘धर्मस्य ईशः’

• परितः: around
• परितः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: परितः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb/preposition) — ‘around’

• स्थितः: stood
• स्थितः: Karta (Predicate participle of subject)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — ‘standing/being situated’

• आराधयन्: worshipping
• आराधयन्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Concomitant action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-राध् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्यय (Present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — ‘worshipping’

• महादेवम्: Mahādeva (Śiva)
• महादेवम्: Karma (Object of worship/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Accusative Singular; कर्मधारयः ‘महान् देवः’

• ब्रह्मद्वत्या: by/with Brahmadvati (a sacred place/stream)
• ब्रह्मद्वत्या: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मद्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन — Instrumental Singular

• अप: (particle)
• अप: Upapada/Particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अप (अव्यय/उपसर्गसदृश)
• Form: अव्यय (particle; here as part of sandhi with following)

• नुत्तये: for expiation/atonement
• नुत्तये: Sampradāna (Purpose/recipient—‘for’/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नुत्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन — Dative Singular

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration typically Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Uttaravāhinī (Gaṅgā in Kāśī) / Dharmeśvara at Dharmapīṭha

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Indra bathes in the north-flowing Ganga, then stands circumambulating/near Dharmeśvara, offering worship to Mahādeva with the explicit intent of removing brahmahatyā.

Characters & Entities

• Uttaravāhinī
• Dharmaśvara
• Mahādeva (Śiva)
• Brahmahatyā (sin of Brahmin-slaying)
• Indra (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-snānā and devoted worship of Śiva in Kāśī are framed as purifying disciplines that uproot severe sin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Uttaravāhinī in Kāśī, together with the shrine of Dharmaśvara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bathing (snāna) in the Uttaravāhinī and worship (ārādhana) of Mahādeva/Dharmaśvara as a prāyaścitta for brahmahatyā.