Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 47

Devanagari script

त्वं तु तत्र कृतावासः कृतपुण्यमहोच्चयः । उत्तरप्रवहा स्नान जातपिंगलमूर्धजः

Transliteration

tvaṃ tu tatra kṛtāvāsaḥ kṛtapuṇyamahoccayaḥ | uttarapravahā snāna jātapiṃgalamūrdhajaḥ

Translation

എന്നാൽ നീ അവിടെ വസിച്ച് മഹാപുണ്യസഞ്ചയം സമ്പാദിച്ചു; ഉത്തരപ്രവാഹയിൽ സ്നാനം ചെയ്തതുകൊണ്ട് നിന്റെ മുടി പിംഗള (ചെമ്പുവർണ്ണ)മായി മാറി।

Word by Word

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha/Particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (contrast/emphasis)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

• कृतावासः: having taken residence
• कृतावासः: Karta (Subject-Qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत (कृ धातु; क्त) + आवास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुषार्थे (कृतः आवासः यस्य)

• कृतपुण्यमहोच्चयः: one who has amassed great merit
• कृतपुण्यमहोच्चयः: Karta (Subject-Qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत (कृ धातु; क्त) + पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक) + महा (प्रातिपदिक) + उच्चय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (कृतः पुण्यस्य महा-उच्चयः यस्य)

• उत्तरप्रवहास्नानजातपिङ्गलमूर्धजः: whose hair has turned tawny from bathing in the north-flowing (stream)
• उत्तरप्रवहास्नानजातपिङ्गलमूर्धजः: Karta (Subject-Qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रवाह (प्रातिपदिक) + स्नान (प्रातिपदिक) + जात (जन् धातु; क्त) + पिङ्गल (प्रातिपदिक) + मूर्धज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (उत्तरप्रवाहे स्नानेन जाताः पिङ्गलाः मूर्धजाः यस्य)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Uttarapravāhā

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Agastya (or the addressed pilgrim) stands at a sacred north-flowing/currented stretch, having bathed; his hair appears tawny-golden as an auspicious mark; Skanda praises him on the ghat.

Characters & Entities

• Uttarapravāhā
• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is validated by transformation: residence and tīrtha-bathing in Kāśī are portrayed as producing visible and invisible signs of accumulated merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Uttarapravāhā within the sacred landscape of Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) at Uttarapravāhā, along with the merit of residing in the kṣetra.