Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 92

Devanagari script

प्रातःप्रातस्तु यत्स्नानं संजाते चारुणोदये । प्राजापत्यसमं प्राहुस्तन्महाघविघातकृत्

Transliteration

prātaḥprātastu yatsnānaṃ saṃjāte cāruṇodaye | prājāpatyasamaṃ prāhustanmahāghavighātakṛt

Translation

പ്രതിദിനം പ്രാതഃ, മനോഹരമായ അരുണോദയം ഉദിച്ചപ്പോൾ ചെയ്യുന്ന സ്നാനം പ്രാജാപത്യവ്രതത്തോട് സമമാണെന്ന് പറയുന്നു; അത് മഹാപാപങ്ങളെ നശിപ്പിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• प्रातःप्रातः: every morning
• प्रातःप्रातः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रातः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरुक्त (reduplication) ‘every morning/early morning’

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Nipata (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण/विरोधसूचक (particle)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक सर्वनाम; विशेषणम् (स्नानम्)

• स्नानम्: bath
• स्नानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन

• संजाते: when arisen/when occurred
• संजाते: Adhikarana (Locative absolute)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + जन् (धातु) → संजात (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सति-सप्तमी (locative absolute)

• चारुणोदये: at the beautiful sunrise
• चारुणोदये: Adhikarana (Locative absolute)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चारु + उदय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; संजाते इत्यनेन सह सति-सप्तमी; समासः—कर्मधारयः (चारु उदयः)

• प्राजापत्यसमम्: equal to the prājāpatya (rite)
• प्राजापत्यसमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्राजापत्य + सम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपमान/तुल्यत्वबोधक विशेषणम् (स्नानम्); समासः—तत्पुरुषः (प्राजापत्य + सम)

• प्राहुः: they say/declare
• प्राहुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + अह् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; निर्देशक (referring to the said bath)

• महाघविघातकृत्: destroyer of great sins
• महाघविघातकृत्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा + अघ + विघात + कृत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेयविशेषणम् (तत्/स्नानम्); समासः—तत्पुरुषः (महान् अघः यस्य विघातः तं करोति)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Aruṇodaya-snānā at Kāśī tīrtha (Gaṅgā implied)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Aruṇodaya on the Gaṅgā: the sky blushes; pilgrims enter the water with folded hands; a subtle divine radiance suggests prāyaścitta power; the sun just emerging.

Characters & Entities

• Prājāpatya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Timely, disciplined purity at dawn carries expiatory power and supports a life aligned with dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is named; within Kāśīkhaṇḍa, dawn bathing is implicitly harmonized with Kāśī’s sacred waters.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Take a bath at dawn (around sunrise); it is said to equal the Prājāpatya rite and destroy major sins.