Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 45

Devanagari script

पंचरात्रमुषित्वा तु ब्राह्मणान्परिभोज्य च । प्रयागमगमद्विप्रस्तीर्थराजं सुहृष्टवत्

Transliteration

paṃcarātramuṣitvā tu brāhmaṇānparibhojya ca | prayāgamagamadviprastīrtharājaṃ suhṛṣṭavat

Translation

അഞ്ചു രാത്രികൾ അവിടെ പാർത്തു, ബ്രാഹ്മണരെ വിധിപൂർവ്വം ഭോജനിപ്പിച്ച്, ആ ദ്വിജൻ അത്യന്തം ഹർഷത്തോടെ തീർത്ഥരാജമായ പ്രയാഗത്തിലേക്ക് പോയി.

Word by Word

• पञ्च-रात्रम्: for five nights
• पञ्च-रात्रम्: Kāla-adhikarana (Temporal extent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + रात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (पञ्च रात्राः = पञ्चरात्रम्)

• उषित्वा: having stayed
• उषित्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वस् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive), ‘having stayed/dwelt’

• तु: then
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/अनुवाद-अव्यय (particle: ‘but/then’)

• ब्राह्मणान्: Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• परिभोज्य: having fed
• परिभोज्य: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि-भुज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-समकक्ष (absolutive/gerund in -ya), ‘having fed/entertained’

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• प्रयागम्: Prayāga
• प्रयागम्: Karma (Goal object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रयाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अगमत्: went
• अगमत्: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (imperfect/past), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• विप्रः: the brāhmaṇa
• विप्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तीर्थ-राजम्: the king of sacred places
• तीर्थ-राजम्: Karma (Apposition to Prayāga)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: तीर्थाणां राजा

• सुहृष्टवत्: as if very delighted
• सुहृष्टवत्: Karta (Qualifier of subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु-हृष्ट (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) + वत् (तद्धित)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘-वत्’ तद्धित = ‘like/possessing’; विशेषणं विप्रस्य

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prayāga (Tīrtha-rāja)

Type: sangam

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim completes a five-night vow-like stay, serves a line of brāhmaṇas with respectful offerings, then sets out joyfully toward Prayāga with staff and waterpot.

Characters & Entities

• Prayāga
• Brāhmaṇa
• Tīrtharāja

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charity and hospitality sanctify travel; then one approaches the greatest tīrtha with joy and merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prayāga is praised as Tīrtharāja, the ‘king of holy places’.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A five-night stay (pañca-rātra) and feeding brāhmaṇas (anna-dāna/bhojana) as part of dhārmic conduct.