Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

स्वर्धुनी स्पर्शमात्रेण महापातकसंततिः । यत्र संक्षयति क्षिप्रं तां काशीं को न संश्रयेत्

Transliteration

svardhunī sparśamātreṇa mahāpātakasaṃtatiḥ | yatra saṃkṣayati kṣipraṃ tāṃ kāśīṃ ko na saṃśrayet

Translation

天の河スヴァルドゥニーに触れるだけで、重罪の連なりがたちまち滅び去るその地——そのカーシーに、誰が帰依せずにいられようか。

Word by Word

• स्वर्धुनी: the heavenly river (Gaṅgā)
• स्वर्धुनी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्धुनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• स्पर्शमात्रेण: by mere touch
• स्पर्शमात्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्पर्श-मात्र (प्रातिपदिक; स्पर्श + मात्र)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (स्पर्शस्य मात्रम्)

• महापातकसंततिः: a succession of great sins
• महापातकसंततिः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महापातक-संतति (प्रातिपदिक; महा + पातक + संतति)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (महापातकानां संततिः)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सम्बन्धबोधक-स्थानवाचक (relative adverb: 'where')

• संक्षयति: destroys / causes to perish
• संक्षयति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: क्षि (धातु) उपसर्गः सम् +
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; धात्वर्थः—क्षयम् नयति (causes to perish)

• क्षिप्रं: quickly
• क्षिप्रं: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्षिप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावेन क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण (adverb)

• ताम्: that (her)
• ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• काशीं: Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• काशीं: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कः: who
• कः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक (interrogative pronoun)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation particle)

• संश्रयेत्: should resort to / take refuge in
• संश्रयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रि (धातु) उपसर्गः सम् +
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आश्रयणार्थक (should resort to)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative convention)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Svardhunī (Gaṅgā) in Kāśī

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims at Kāśī’s ghāṭas touch the Gaṅgā; a luminous current washes away dark, smoke-like sins dissolving instantly; the skyline shows temples and the aura of Viśveśvara’s kṣetra.

Characters & Entities

• Svardhunī (Gaṅgā)
• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is extolled as a place of swift purification, where contact with Gaṅgā removes even grave accumulations of sin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī on the banks of Svardhunī (Gaṅgā).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Gaṅgā-sparśa (touching/entering the Gaṅgā; bathing is strongly implied) as a purifier.