Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

तर्पिता जाह्नवीतोयैर्नरेण विधिना सकृत् । प्रयांति स्वर्गतिं तेपि स्वर्गिणो मुक्तिमाप्नुयुः

Transliteration

tarpitā jāhnavītoyairnareṇa vidhinā sakṛt | prayāṃti svargatiṃ tepi svargiṇo muktimāpnuyuḥ

Translation

ജാഹ്നവി (ഗംഗ) ജലങ്ങളാൽ ഒരു മനുഷ്യൻ വിധിപൂർവം ഒരിക്കൽ പോലും തർപ്പണം ചെയ്ത് അവരെ തൃപ്തിപ്പെടുത്തിയാൽ, അവരും സ്വർഗ്ഗഗതി പ്രാപിക്കും; സ്വർഗ്ഗസ്ഥരായി അവസാനം മോക്ഷവും നേടാം.

Word by Word

• तर्पिताः: having been satisfied/propitiated
• तर्पिताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तर्पित (कृदन्त; √तृप्/तर्प् (धातु) + णिच् + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त — Past passive participle, ‘having been satisfied (propitiated)’

• जाह्नवीतोयैः: with the waters of the Jāhnavī (Ganga)
• जाह्नवीतोयैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जाह्नवी + तोय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (जाह्नव्याः तोयैः) — instrumental plural

• नरेण: by a man
• नरेण: Kartr̥ (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Instrumental singular

• विधिना: according to rule, by proper procedure
• विधिना: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Instrumental singular

• सकृत्: once
• सकृत्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सकृत् (अव्यय)
• Form: परिमाण/आवृत्तिवाचक-अव्यय (adverb)

• प्रयान्ति: they go
• प्रयान्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-√या (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन — Present indicative, 3rd plural

• स्वर्गतिम्: the path/state of heaven
• स्वर्गतिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग + गति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (स्वर्गस्य गतिम्) — accusative singular

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Demonstrative pronoun, nominative plural

• अपि: also, even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्भावना/समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (particle: ‘also/even’)

• स्वर्गिणः: dwellers in heaven
• स्वर्गिणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्गिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — nominative plural

• मुक्तिम्: liberation
• मुक्तिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Accusative singular

• आप्नुयुः: may attain
• आप्नुयुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-√आप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (लिङ्-लकार), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन — Optative, 3rd plural

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā) at Kāśī

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A householder performs tarpaṇa with Gaṅgā water at a Kāśī ghāṭa; luminous streams rise toward subtle celestial realms, suggesting svarga-gati and eventual liberation.

Characters & Entities

• Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Properly performed ancestral satisfaction (tarpaṇa) with Gaṅgā water has extraordinary salvific power—raising the departed to heaven and ultimately toward mokṣa.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgā (Jāhnavī), especially as connected to Kāśī’s sacred riverfront and the later-named Uttaravāhinī stretch.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pitṛ-tarpaṇa using Gaṅgā water, performed vidhinā (according to proper procedure), even once.