Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 97

Devanagari script

गंगातटोद्भवां मृत्स्नां यो मौलौ बिभृयान्नरः । बिभर्ति सोऽर्कबिंबं वै तमोनाशाय निश्चितम्

Transliteration

gaṃgātaṭodbhavāṃ mṛtsnāṃ yo maulau bibhṛyānnaraḥ | bibharti so'rkabiṃbaṃ vai tamonāśāya niścitam

Translation

ഗംഗാതീരത്തിൽ നിന്നുള്ള മണ്ണ് തലയിൽ ധരിക്കുന്ന മനുഷ്യൻ, ഇരുട്ട് (അജ്ഞാനവും പാപവും) നശിപ്പാൻ നിശ്ചയമായും സൂര്യബിംബം ധരിക്കുന്നവനുപോലെ ആകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• गङ्गातटोद्भवाम्: arisen from the bank of the Ganga
• गङ्गातटोद्भवाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक) + तट (प्रातिपदिक) + उद्भव (उद्-भू धातु, घञ्)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषणम्; समासः—गङ्गा-तट (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष) + उद्भव (पञ्चमी/षष्ठीभाव: ‘arisen from’)

• मृत्स्नाम्: clay/earth
• मृत्स्नाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत्स्ना (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• मौलौ: on (his) head
• मौलौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मौलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन (Singular)

• बिभृयात्: should bear/should place
• बिभृयात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular); परस्मैपदम्

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन (Singular)

• बिभर्ति: bears/carries
• बिभर्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present indicative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular); परस्मैपदम्

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन (Singular)

• अर्कबिम्बम्: the sun’s disc
• अर्कबिम्बम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्क (प्रातिपदिक) + बिम्ब (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन (Singular); समासः—अर्कस्य बिम्बम् (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक/सम्बोधनार्थक निपात (emphatic particle)

• तमोनाशाय: for the destruction of darkness
• तमोनाशाय: Sampradana (Purpose/Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तमस् (प्रातिपदिक) + नाश (नश् धातु, घञ्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन (Singular); समासः—तमसः नाशः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• निश्चितम्: certain/assured
• निश्चितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नि- + चित् (चित् धातु, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया/प्रथमा (2nd/1st), एकवचन (Singular); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; विशेषणम् (अर्कबिम्बम् इति)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā-taṭa-mṛttikā (Kāśī)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at a Kāśī ghat gently lifts a pinch of Gaṅgā-bank earth and places it on his head; a radiant sun-disc appears symbolically above, while surrounding shadows recede.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Sun (Arka)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Contact with Gaṅgā-associated substances is spiritually luminous, dispelling inner darkness and sin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Gaṅgā’s bank (gaṅgā-taṭa), a key sacred zone in Kāśī’s tīrtha geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bearing Gaṅgā-bank earth on the head (a form of tīrtha-mṛd-dhāraṇa) is praised.