Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 68

Devanagari script

सप्तधातुमयी भूततनौ पापानि यानि वै । केशेषु तानि तिष्ठंति वपनाद्यांति तान्यपि

Transliteration

saptadhātumayī bhūtatanau pāpāni yāni vai | keśeṣu tāni tiṣṭhaṃti vapanādyāṃti tānyapi

Translation

സപ്തധാതുമയമായ ദേഹത്തിൽ ഉള്ള പാപങ്ങൾ എല്ലാം കേശങ്ങളിൽ വസിക്കുന്നു; വപനം (മുണ്ഡനം) ചെയ്താൽ അവയും നീങ്ങിപ്പോകുന്നു।

Word by Word

• सप्तधातुमयी: consisting of seven bodily constituents
• सप्तधातुमयी: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्त-धातु-मयī (प्रातिपदिक; सप्त + धातु + मयī)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (fem. nom. sg.)

• भूततनौ: in the embodied body
• भूततनौ: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूत-तनु (प्रातिपदिक; भूत + तनु)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन (locative singular)

• पापानि: sins
• पापानि: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन (nom. pl.)

• यानि: which
• यानि: Anvaya-sambandha (Relative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha-bodhaka (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; emphasis)

• केशेषु: in the hair
• केशेषु: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), बहुवचन (loc. pl.)

• तानि: those (sins)
• तानि: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; अन्वादेश (correlative pronoun)

• तिष्ठन्ति: remain
• तिष्ठन्ति: Kriyā (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• वपनात्: from shaving
• वपनात्: Apādāna (Source/Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वपन (प्रातिपदिक; √वप् (धातु) + ल्युट्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन (abl. sg.); कारण/हेतु-अर्थ (from the act of shaving)

• यान्ति: go away
• यान्ति: Kriyā (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• तानि: those (sins)
• तानि: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha-bodhaka (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; also/even)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and ṛṣis (typical frame; not explicit here)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim in Kāśī sits near a ghāṭa as a barber performs vapanā; the Gaṅgā flows behind, with temple spires and lamps, suggesting ritual purification before sacred bathing.

Characters & Entities

• Prayāga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purification is expressed through bodily symbolism: sins are said to cling even to hair, and ritual acts can signify their removal.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prayāga is the implied tīrtha-context for these purificatory acts within this adhyāya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Vapana (shaving/tonsure) is mentioned as a purificatory act.