Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 64

Devanagari script

जन्मांतरेष्वसंख्येषु यः कृतः पापसंचयः । दुष्प्रणोद्यो हि नितरां व्रतैर्दानैस्तपोजपैः

Transliteration

janmāṃtareṣvasaṃkhyeṣu yaḥ kṛtaḥ pāpasaṃcayaḥ | duṣpraṇodyo hi nitarāṃ vratairdānaistapojapaiḥ

Translation

അസംഖ്യ ജന്മങ്ങളിൽ സഞ്ചിതമായ പാപസഞ്ചയം അത്യന്തം ദുർനിവാര്യമാണ്; വ്രതം, ദാനം, തപസ്സ്, ജപം എന്നിവകൊണ്ടും അതിനെ നീക്കുക വളരെ കഠിനം.

Word by Word

• जन्मान्तरेषु: in other births
• जन्मान्तरेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्म-अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन (Plural); तत्पुरुष: जन्मान्तर (other births)

• असंख्येषु: countless
• असंख्येषु: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: असंख्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन (Plural); विशेषण of जन्मान्तरेषु

• यः: which/that (he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• कृतः: done/accumulated
• कृतः: Visheshana (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; यः इति सह विशेषण

• पापसंचयः: accumulation of sins
• पापसंचयः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप-संचय (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); तत्पुरुष: पापानां संचयः (accumulation of sins)

• दुष्प्रणोद्यः: hard to dispel
• दुष्प्रणोद्यः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुस्-प्र-णोद्य (प्रातिपदिक; उपसर्गयुक्त कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); दुर्-उपसर्ग (dus-) + प्रणुद् (धातु) + यत्/ण्यत्-भाव: ‘hard to drive away’

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), हेत्वर्थ/निश्चयार्थ (indeed/for)

• नितराम्: exceedingly
• नितराम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नितराम् (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• व्रतैः: by vows
• व्रतैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन (Plural)

• दानैः: by gifts/charity
• दानैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन (Plural)

• तपोजपैः: by austerities and recitations
• तपोजपैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस्-जप (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन (Plural); द्वन्द्व: तपः च जपः च (austerities and recitations)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (implied remedy beyond ordinary disciplines)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim burdened by dark, smoke-like karmic residue stands amid symbols of vows, gifts, austerity, and rosary—yet the shadow persists, pointing toward a distant radiant kṣetra as hope.

Characters & Entities

• Prayāga
• Tīrtharāja

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Deep karmic burdens from many lives are not easily erased by ordinary disciplines alone, highlighting the need for exceptional grace and sacred means.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prayāga is implied as the extraordinary tīrtha that can accomplish what is otherwise difficult.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Vrata (vows), dāna (charity), tapa (austerity), and japa (recitation) are named as purificatory practices.