Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 58

Devanagari script

अतीव मलिनात्मानो महामलिन कर्मभिः । क्षणान्निर्मलतां यांति हंसतीर्थकृतोदकाः

Transliteration

atīva malinātmāno mahāmalina karmabhiḥ | kṣaṇānnirmalatāṃ yāṃti haṃsatīrthakṛtodakāḥ

Translation

അത്യന്ത മലിന കർമ്മങ്ങളാൽ അന്തർഭാവം കലുഷിതമായവരും ഹംസതീർത്ഥബന്ധിതമായ പുണ്യജലത്താൽ ക്ഷണത്തിൽ തന്നെ നിർമലത പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• अतीव: exceedingly, very
• अतीव: Viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अतीव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• मलिनात्मानः: having impure selves; impure-minded
• मलिनात्मानः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मलिन-आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative); बहुवचन; विशेषण (adjective)

• महामलिन: greatly impure
• महामलिन: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा- मलिन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd); एकवचन; विशेषण (adjective)

• कर्मभिः: by (their) deeds
• कर्मभिः: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental); बहुवचन

• क्षणात्: within a moment; from a moment
• क्षणात्: Apādāna (Source/limit—‘from’/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative); एकवचन; अव्ययीभावार्थे (in the sense of ‘within a moment’)

• निर्मलताम्: purity
• निर्मलताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निर्मलता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन

• यान्ति: go, attain
• यान्ति: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person); बहुवचन

• हंसतीर्थकृतोदकाः: those whose water is taken/made at Haṃsatīrtha (i.e., who have Haṃsatīrtha-water)
• हंसतीर्थकृतोदकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हंस-तीर्थ-कृत-उदक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative); बहुवचन; समासः—(हंसतीर्थे कृतम् उदकम्) यस्य ते

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśī-khaṇḍa context: Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Haṃsatīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A sage interlocutor (mune) within the Kāśī-khaṇḍa dialogue frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims at a serene Kāśī water-spot identified as Haṃsatīrtha; a symbolic haṃsa (swan) motif near the water; devotees emerging from snāna with softened, luminous faces, suggesting instant purification.

Characters & Entities

• Haṃsatīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincere contact with a potent tīrtha grants rapid inner cleansing, even when past karma is heavily stained.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Haṃsatīrtha in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Use of Haṃsatīrtha water—primarily by bathing (snāna) or ritual water-application—is praised as purifying.