Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

गोपीगोविंदतीर्थे तु गोपीगोविंदसंज्ञकम् । समर्च्य मां नरो भक्त्या मम मायां न संस्पृशेत्

Transliteration

gopīgoviṃdatīrthe tu gopīgoviṃdasaṃjñakam | samarcya māṃ naro bhaktyā mama māyāṃ na saṃspṛśet

Translation

ഗോപീ-ഗോവിന്ദ തീർത്ഥത്തിൽ ഞാൻ ‘ഗോപീ-ഗോവിന്ദൻ’ എന്ന നാമത്തിൽ പ്രസിദ്ധൻ. അവിടെ ഭക്തിയോടെ എന്നെ ആരാധിക്കുന്നവൻ എന്റെ മായയുടെ സ്പർശത്തിൽപ്പെടുകയില്ല.

Word by Word

• गोपीगोविंदतीर्थे: in the Gopī-Govinda tīrtha
• गोपीगोविंदतीर्थे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोपी + गोविन्द + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (गोपीगोविन्द-तीर्थ = the tīrtha of Gopī-Govinda)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; contrast/emphasis)

• गोपीगोविंदसंज्ञकम्: (me) designated as Gopī-Govinda
• गोपीगोविंदसंज्ञकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गोपी + गोविन्द + संज्ञक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (having the designation ‘Gopī-Govinda’)

• समर्च्य: having worshipped
• समर्च्य: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + √अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव

• माम्: me
• माम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

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

• भक्त्या: with devotion
• भक्त्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• मायाम्: illusion/power of delusion
• मायाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation particle)

• संस्पृशेत्: would touch/come into contact with
• संस्पृशेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + √स्पृश् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśī Khaṇḍa dialogues)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gopī-Govinda Tīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dialogue’s sage/interlocutor; also addressed to general ‘naraḥ’ (person)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A Kāśī ghāṭa transformed by Vraja mood: Govinda with flute stands in a small shrine; gopī imagery appears as symbolic attendants or mural panels; devotees sing kīrtana, and a veil-like darkness (māyā) lifts from the scene.

Characters & Entities

• Gopī-Govinda
• Kāśī
• Tīrtha
• Māyā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Bhakti at a sanctified place is portrayed as a liberating force that loosens the grip of māyā.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gopī-Govinda Tīrtha in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Devotional worship (samarcana) of Gopī-Govinda at the tīrtha.