Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 76

Devanagari script

अथो मुखविशुद्ध्यर्थं गृह्णीयाद्दंतधावनम् । आचांतोप्यशुचिर्यस्मादकृत्वा दंतधावनम्

Transliteration

atho mukhaviśuddhyarthaṃ gṛhṇīyāddaṃtadhāvanam | ācāṃtopyaśuciryasmādakṛtvā daṃtadhāvanam

Translation

അതിനുശേഷം വായ ശുദ്ധിയാക്കാൻ പല്ല് തേക്കണം. കാരണം പല്ല് തേക്കാതെ ആചമനം ചെയ്താലും അവൻ അശുദ്ധനായിത്തന്നെ തുടരുന്നു.

Word by Word

• अथो: then/now
• अथो: Discourse marker
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ + उ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधानार्थक/अनन्तरार्थक निपात (then/now)

• मुखविशुद्ध्यर्थम्: for mouth-purification
• मुखविशुद्ध्यर्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुख + विशुद्धि + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी-तत्पुरुष/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थे (मुखस्य विशुद्ध्यर्थम् = for purification of the mouth); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन (प्रयोजनार्थक द्वितीया)

• गृह्णीयात्: should take
• गृह्णीयात्: Kriyā (Main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ग्रह् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदम्

• दन्तधावनम्: tooth-cleaning (stick/powder)
• दन्तधावनम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दन्त + धावन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (दन्तानां धावनम् = tooth-cleaning); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• आचान्तः: having performed ācamana
• आचान्तः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + चम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

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

• अशुचिः: impure
• अशुचिः: Kartṛ-predicative (Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अशुचि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (of the subject)

• यस्मात्: because (from which reason)
• यस्मात्: Apādāna (Reason/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• अकृत्वा: without doing
• अकृत्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Without doing)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: नञ्-पूर्वक क्त्वान्त (negative absolutive): ‘कृत्वा’ with privative ‘अ-’ = without doing

• दन्तधावनम्: tooth-cleaning
• दन्तधावनम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दन्त + धावन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At dawn on a Kāśī ghāṭa, a pilgrim uses a tooth-cleaning implement and rinses, preparing for mantra recitation and temple darśana.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (implied context)
• Dantadhāvana (tooth-cleaning)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma joins inner worship with bodily discipline; cleanliness is treated as a support for sacred living.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Set within Kāśī Khaṇḍa, it reflects the purity culture expected in the holy city of Vārāṇasī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

One should perform dantadhāvana (tooth-cleaning) for mouth purification; otherwise, even after ācamana, impurity remains.