Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 94

Devanagari script

ततोऽपि पुण्यदं राजन्भवानीतीर्थमुत्तमम् । यत्र स्नात्वा भवानीशौ दृष्ट्वा नैव पुनर्भवेत्

Transliteration

tato'pi puṇyadaṃ rājanbhavānītīrthamuttamam | yatra snātvā bhavānīśau dṛṣṭvā naiva punarbhavet

Translation

ಹೇ ರಾಜನ್, ಅದಕ್ಕಿಂತಲೂ ಪುಣ್ಯದಾಯಕವಾದ ಉತ್ಕೃಷ್ಟ ಭವಾನೀತೀರ್ಥವಿದೆ. ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಸ್ನಾನ ಮಾಡಿ ಭವಾನಿ ಮತ್ತು ಈಶನ ದರ್ಶನ ಮಾಡಿದವನು ಮತ್ತೆ ಜನ್ಮಿಸುವುದಿಲ್ಲ.

Word by Word

• ततः: then/from that
• ततः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रमवाचक-अव्यय (sequential adverb)

• अपि: also/even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (additive particle)

• पुण्यदम्: bestowing merit
• पुण्यदम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य-द (प्रातिपदिक; पुण्य + द)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular)

• राजन्: O king
• राजन्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Vocative, Singular)

• भवानीतीर्थम्: the Bhavānī tīrtha
• भवानीतीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भवानी-तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक; भवानी + तीर्थ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular)

• उत्तमम्: excellent/supreme
• उत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular; superlative)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्ध-स्थानवाचक-अव्यय (relative locative adverb)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund: having bathed)

• भवानीशौ: Bhavānī and Īśa (Śiva)
• भवानीशौ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भवानी-ईश (प्रातिपदिक; भवानी + ईश)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, द्विवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Dual; itaretara-द्वन्द्व: 'Bhavānī and Īśa')

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund: having seen)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: पुनरावृत्तिवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: again)

• भवेत्: would become; would be (reborn)
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (Optative, 3rd person, Singular, Parasmaipada)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bhavānī-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: rājan (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ghat-side tīrtha where a devotee emerges from water and proceeds to a small twin-shrine vista: Bhavānī (with trident/lotus) and Īśa (with liṅga/triśūla), lamps flickering; the devotee offers flowers with intense devotion.

Characters & Entities

• Bhavānī (Pārvatī)
• Īśa (Śiva)
• Bhavānī-tīrtha
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Liberation is linked to both purification (snāna) and divine encounter (darśana) of Śiva and Śakti together.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Bhavānī-tīrtha, celebrated as an excellent tīrtha in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna at Bhavānī-tīrtha and darśana of Bhavānī and Īśa; the promised fruit is freedom from rebirth.