Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 59

Devanagari script

अथो मृदं समादाय जंतुकर्करवर्जिताम् । विहाय मूषकोत्खातां शौचोच्छिष्टां च नाकुलाम्

Transliteration

atho mṛdaṃ samādāya jaṃtukarkaravarjitām | vihāya mūṣakotkhātāṃ śaucocchiṣṭāṃ ca nākulām

Translation

അതിനുശേഷം കീടങ്ങളും കല്ലുകണങ്ങളും ഇല്ലാത്ത മണ്ണ് എടുക്കണം. എലി കുഴിച്ച മണ്ണും, ശൗചത്തിൽ മുമ്പേ ഉപയോഗിച്ച മണ്ണും, മുങ്ങൂസിന്റെ കുഴിയിലെ മണ്ണും ഒഴിവാക്കണം.

Word by Word

• अथो: then/thereupon
• अथो: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय) + उ (निपात)
• Form: निपात/समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (then/now; emphatic)

• मृदम्: earth/clay
• मृदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन

• समादाय: having taken
• समादाय: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ√दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund), ‘having taken’

• जन्तु-कर्कर-वर्जिताम्: free from insects and gravel
• जन्तु-कर्कर-वर्जिताम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जन्तु (प्रातिपदिक) + कर्कर (प्रातिपदिक) + वर्जित (कृदन्त, √वृज्/वर्ज्)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (objects excluded)

• विहाय: having avoided
• विहाय: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि√हा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund), ‘having left/avoided’

• मूषक-उत्खाताम्: dug up by a mouse
• मूषक-उत्खाताम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मूषक (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्खात (कृदन्त, उत्√खन्)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

• शौच-उच्छिष्टाम्: leftover from cleansing/impure residue
• शौच-उच्छिष्टाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शौच (प्रातिपदिक) + उच्छिष्ट (कृदन्त, उत्√शिष्/शेष)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• नाकुलाम्: not mixed/undisturbed
• नाकुलाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: न (अव्यय) + आकुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन; नञ्-समासार्थ (negated adjective)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee carefully collecting a small lump of clean earth from an undisturbed patch, inspecting it for insects and grit; nearby are subtle signs of avoided spots (small burrow, disturbed soil) without graphic detail.

Characters & Entities

• Mouse (Mūṣaka)
• Mongoose (Nakula)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purification must be done with discernment—using clean means for clean ends is itself dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific site is named; the verse concerns the method of śauca within Kāśīkhaṇḍa practice.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Use clean earth free of insects and gravel; avoid mouse-dug soil, previously used cleansing-soil, and soil from a mongoose burrow.