Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

द्विजाः पंचसहस्राणि चरतो विपुलं तपः । दंडखातान्महातीर्थादाजग्मुर्देवदर्शने

Transliteration

dvijāḥ paṃcasahasrāṇi carato vipulaṃ tapaḥ | daṃḍakhātānmahātīrthādājagmurdevadarśane

Translation

ദണ്ഡഖാത എന്ന മഹാതീർത്ഥത്തിൽ നിന്ന് വിപുലമായ തപസ്സിൽ നിരതരായ അഞ്ചായിരം ദ്വിജർ കാശിയിൽ ദേവന്റെ ശുഭദർശനാർത്ഥം എത്തി।

Word by Word

• द्विजाः: Brahmins / twice-born
• द्विजाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• पञ्चसहस्राणि: five thousand (in number)
• पञ्चसहस्राणि: Visheshana (Quantifier of द्विजाः)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक; संख्यावाचक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), बहुवचन (Plural); संख्यावाचक-समास (Dvigu)

• चरन्तः: practising / performing
• चरन्तः: Karta (Participial predicate of द्विजाः)
• Type: Verb
• Root: चर् (धातु) + शतृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकालिक-कर्तरि-शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त (Present active participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• विपुलम्: great, abundant
• विपुलम्: Visheshana (Qualifier of तपः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विपुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• तपः: austerity, penance
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• दण्डखातात्: from Daṇḍakhātā (a tīrtha/place)
• दण्डखातात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दण्डखाता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (दण्डस्य खाता)

• महा-तीर्थात्: from the great sacred ford (Mahātīrtha)
• महा-तीर्थात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महत् + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मधारय (महत्तीरथम्)

• आजग्मुः: came, arrived
• आजग्मुः: Kriya (Main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + गम् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपद

• देव-दर्शने: for/at the sight of the gods
• देव-दर्शने: Adhikarana (Locus/Purpose context)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (देवानां दर्शनम्)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Daṇḍakhāta

Type: tirtha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vast procession of five thousand dvijas—matted hair, bark garments, waterpots—emerging from a forested ghāṭa-tīrtha (Daṇḍakhāta) and moving toward the luminous skyline of Kāśī, with distant temple spires and Gaṅgā shimmer.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Śiva
• Daṇḍakhāta Mahātīrtha
• Dvijas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Austerity finds its fulfillment in Śiva-darśana; tapas is oriented toward sacred encounter, especially in Kāśī.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Daṇḍakhāta, described as a mahātīrtha, from which devotees come to Kāśī for the Lord’s darśana.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed; the emphasis is on tapas (austerity) and pilgrimage for darśana.