Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 81

Devanagari script

एतन्मंत्रत्रयं जप्त्वा स्नात्वा पादोदके नरः । केशवादित्यमालोक्य क्षणान्निष्कलुषो भवेत्

Transliteration

etanmaṃtratrayaṃ japtvā snātvā pādodake naraḥ | keśavādityamālokya kṣaṇānniṣkaluṣo bhavet

Translation

ഈ മൂന്ന് മന്ത്രങ്ങൾ ജപിച്ച് പാദോദകത്തിൽ സ്നാനം ചെയ്ത്, കേശവാദിത്യനെ ദർശിച്ചാൽ മനുഷ്യൻ ക്ഷണത്തിൽ തന്നെ മലിനതരഹിതനാകും।

Word by Word

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; निर्देश-विशेषण

• मन्त्रत्रयम्: the three mantras
• मन्त्रत्रयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक) + त्रय (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘त्रयः मन्त्राः’ इति द्विगु-समास

• जप्त्वा: having recited
• जप्त्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive); ‘having recited’

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त; ‘having bathed’

• पादोदके: in foot-water / at the water by the feet
• पादोदके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाद (प्रातिपदिक) + उदक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; ‘पादस्य उदके’ (in water at the feet / foot-water)

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

• केशवादित्यम्: Keśavāditya
• केशवादित्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केशव (प्रातिपदिक; विष्णुनाम) + आदित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘केशव-आदित्य’ (name of deity/sun-form)

• आलोक्य: having beheld
• आलोक्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-लोक् (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप्/क्त्वा-समकक्ष अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); ‘having seen/beheld’

• क्षणात्: in a moment / from that moment
• क्षणात्: Apadana (Time-from/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; कालवाचक

• निष्कलुषः: free from impurity
• निष्कलुषः: Kartṛsamanadhikarana (Subject complement/कर्तृसमानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निष्कलुष (प्रातिपदिक; निः + कलुष)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (predicate adjective)

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Unspecified (narrative voice within Kāśīkhaṇḍa; immediately before Skanda’s direct speech at v.83)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Keśavāditya

Type: temple

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee completes mantra-japa, then bathes/ācaman with pādodaka, and finally gazes upon a radiant Keśavāditya image; a visual ‘clearing’ aura around the devotee signifies instant purity.

Characters & Entities

• Keśavāditya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purification is achieved through a complete triad—mantra, sacred bathing, and darśana of the deity—culminating in inner cleansing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Keśavāditya, an Āditya shrine/tīrtha within the Kāśī landscape, is praised as granting immediate purity through darśana.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Japa of three mantras, snāna in pādodaka, and darśana (seeing) of Keśavāditya.