Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

गुर्वंगना गमनजं पापं षण्मास सेवनात् । अवश्यं विलयं याति तमः सूर्योदयाद्यथा

Transliteration

gurvaṃganā gamanajaṃ pāpaṃ ṣaṇmāsa sevanāt | avaśyaṃ vilayaṃ yāti tamaḥ sūryodayādyathā

Translation

ഗുരുപത്നിയെ സമീപിച്ചതിൽ നിന്നുണ്ടാകുന്ന പാപം ഈ പുണ്യസ്ഥാനത്ത് ആറുമാസം സേവിച്ചാൽ നിർബന്ധമായി ലയിക്കുന്നു; സൂര്യോദയത്തിൽ ഇരുട്ട് അകലുന്നതുപോലെ.

Word by Word

• गुर्वङ्गना: a guru’s wife / venerable woman
• गुर्वङ्गना: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुरु-अङ्गना (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—‘गुर्वी अङ्गना’ (a venerable woman)

• गमनजम्: arising from intercourse/approach
• गमनजम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गमन-ज (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; गमनात् जातम् इति तृतीया/पञ्चमी-अर्थे तत्पुरुष (born of going/sexual approach)

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• षण्मास: six-month
• षण्मास: Sambandha (Qualifier to sevanāt)
• Type: Noun
• Root: षण्-मास (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक-रूपेण (समासपूर्वपद); द्विगु-समासः—‘षण्णां मासानां’ (six months)

• सेवनात्: from (the act of) association/serving
• सेवनात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे अपादान/कारण (from/by the act of service/association)

• अवश्यम्: certainly
• अवश्यम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अवश्यम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• विलयम्: dissolution, disappearance
• विलयम्: Gati/Karman (Goal as object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विलय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• याति: goes/attains
• याति: Kriya (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• तमः: darkness
• तमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सूर्योदयात्: from sunrise
• सूर्योदयात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्य-उदय (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सूर्यस्य उदयः इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• यथा: just as
• यथा: Upamana (Comparison marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमानवाचक (comparative particle)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa context, typically Skanda instructing Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bṛhaspatīśvara/Dhiṣaṇeśa vicinity (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇa interlocutor / pilgrims

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A remorseful devotee performs austere observance for six months at a Kāśī shrine—simple clothing, daily lamp offering—while the metaphor of darkness dissolving into sunrise is shown: night recedes over the Ganga as the sun rises behind temple spires.

Characters & Entities

• Guru (Bṛhaspati, implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even grave wrongdoing can be purified through sustained repentance, disciplined observance, and the sanctifying power of Kāśī.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse continues the Guru-associated sacred context of Kāśī (connected with Dhiṣaṇeśa/Bṛhaspatīśvara) where such observance bears fruit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Ṣaṇmāsa-sevā—six months of dedicated observance/service as a form of prāyaścitta.