Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 60

Devanagari script

कुरुक्षेत्रे नैमिषे च गंगासागरसंगमे । ग्रहणे श्राद्धतो यत्स्यात्तत्तीर्थे वार्षभध्वजे

Transliteration

kurukṣetre naimiṣe ca gaṃgāsāgarasaṃgame | grahaṇe śrāddhato yatsyāttattīrthe vārṣabhadhvaje

Translation

കുരുക്ഷേത്രത്തിൽ, നൈമിഷത്തിൽ, ഗംഗാ–സാഗര സംഗമത്തിൽ, ഗ്രഹണകാലത്ത് ശ്രാദ്ധം ചെയ്താൽ ലഭിക്കുന്ന ഫലം—അതേ ഫലം വൃഷഭധ്വജൻ (ശിവൻ) ഉള്ള ഈ തീർത്ഥത്തിലും ലഭിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• कुरुक्षेत्रे: at Kurukṣetra
• कुरुक्षेत्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kuru + kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (कुरूणां क्षेत्रम्)

• नैमिषे: at Naimiṣa
• नैमिषे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naimiṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय-निपात

• गंगासागरसंगमे: at the confluence of the Gaṅgā and the ocean
• गंगासागरसंगमे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṅgā + sāgara + saṅgama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (गङ्गायाः सागरस्य च संगमः)

• ग्रहणे: at an eclipse
• ग्रहणे: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: grahaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (काल-अधिकरण), एकवचन

• श्राद्धतः: from/through the Śrāddha (rite)
• श्राद्धतः: Hetu/Source (Ablatival/अपादान-भाव)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: śrāddha + tas (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (ablatival adverb: ‘from/by means of śrāddha’)

• यत्: whatever (result)
• यत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-प्रदर्शक (relative)

• स्यात्: would be; may occur
• स्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma/Predicate (correlative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तद्-सम्बन्ध (correlative)

• तीर्थे: in this tīrtha (sacred place)
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• वार्षभध्वजे: O Vārṣabhadhvaja (Śiva)
• वार्षभध्वजे: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vārṣabha + dhvaja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (वृषभः ध्वजः यस्य)

Speaker

Śiva (Devadeva, Vārṣabhadhvaja)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vārṣabhadhvaja-tīrtha (Śiva-associated) in Kāśī

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage audience/inquirer

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A map-like sacred montage: Kurukṣetra field, Naimiṣa forest-wheel, Gaṅgā-sāgara confluence, and an eclipse disk appear as four symbolic emblems converging into a single Kāśī Śiva-tīrtha where śrāddha is performed.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Vārṣabhadhvaja)
• Kurukṣetra
• Naimiṣa
• Gaṅgā
• Sāgara (ocean)
• Grahaṇa (eclipse)
• Śrāddha
• Kāśī tīrtha (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s Śiva-tīrtha is proclaimed as a concentrated field of pilgrimage merit, matching multiple famed kṣetras and even eclipse-time potency.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Śiva-associated tīrtha in this adhyāya’s context—Kāśī’s Kāpilatīrtha/Kāpiladhārā sphere.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform śrāddha at this tīrtha to obtain the same fruits as śrāddha done at Kurukṣetra, Naimiṣa, Gaṅgāsāgara, or during a grahaṇa (eclipse).