Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 240

Devanagari script

अग्निश्चेति च मंत्रेण विधायाचमने सुधीः । पश्चिमास्यो जपेत्तावद्यावन्नक्षत्रदर्शनम्

Transliteration

agniśceti ca maṃtreṇa vidhāyācamane sudhīḥ | paścimāsyo japettāvadyāvannakṣatradarśanam

Translation

ក្រោយពេលធ្វើអាចមនៈ (ācamana) ដោយមន្តដែលចាប់ផ្តើមថា “Agniś ca…”, អ្នកប្រាជ្ញគួរបែរមុខទៅទិសលិច ហើយបន្តជប (japa) រហូតដល់ឃើញផ្កាយ។

Word by Word

• अग्निः: Agni (fire)
• अग्निः: Karma (Object within quoted mantra/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

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

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उद्धरण-चिह्न (quotative particle)

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

• मन्त्रेण: with the mantra
• मन्त्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• विधाय: having performed
• विधाय: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वि + धा (धातु) → विधाय (क्त्वा/ल्यप्)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-रूप कृदन्त; क्त्वान्त (Gerund/Absolutive)

• आचमने: in/at the act of sipping (ācamana)
• आचमने: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आचमन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• सुधीः: the wise man
• सुधीः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुधी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• पश्चिमास्यः: facing west
• पश्चिमास्यः: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पश्चिम + आस्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समासः (पश्चिमं आस्यं यस्य)

• जपेत्: should recite
• जपेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• तावत्: so long
• तावत्: Kala (Duration/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय/प्रमाणवाचक)
• Form: अव्यय; परिमाण/अवधि (measure/extent)

• यावत्: until
• यावत्: Kala (Limit/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय/संबन्ध)
• Form: अव्यय; यावत्-तावत्-संबन्ध (correlative)

• नक्षत्रदर्शनम्: the sighting of stars
• नक्षत्रदर्शनम्: Kala (Temporal limit/काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नक्षत्र + दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (नक्षत्रस्य दर्शनम्)

Speaker

Skanda (contextual, Kāśīkhaṇḍa discourse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Gaṅgā-ghāṭas)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Kumbhaja (Agastya)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at a Kāśī ghat performs ācamana, then sits facing west as the sun sets; the sky deepens and the first stars appear while japa continues, with lamps beginning to glow along the riverbank.

Characters & Entities

• Agni

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purification (ācamana) and disciplined mantra-japa, aligned with time and direction, are upheld as steady daily dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction belongs to the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī-setting, where correct daily observance is praised as especially meritorious.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform ācamana using the ‘Agniś ca…’ mantra, then face west and do japa until the stars appear.