Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

केदारं यातुकामस्य पुंसो निश्चितचेतसः । आजन्मसंचितं पापं तत्क्षणादेव नश्यति

Transliteration

kedāraṃ yātukāmasya puṃso niścitacetasaḥ | ājanmasaṃcitaṃ pāpaṃ tatkṣaṇādeva naśyati

Translation

ദൃഢചിത്തത്തോടെ കേദാരത്തിലേക്ക് പോകാൻ ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്ന പുരുഷന്റെ ജന്മംമുതൽ സഞ്ചിതമായ പാപം അതേ ക്ഷണത്തിൽ തന്നെ നശിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• केदारम्: to Kedāra
• केदारम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केदार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• यातुकामस्य: of one desiring to go
• यातुकामस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: या (धातु) + तुमुन् (कृदन्त) + काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (पुंसः इति); उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (यातुम् कामः यस्य)

• पुंसः: of a man
• पुंसः: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुम्स्/पुंस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• निश्चितचेतसः: of one whose mind is resolved
• निश्चितचेतसः: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निश्चित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) + चेतस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (पुंसः इति); बहुव्रीहिः (निश्चितं चेतः यस्य सः)

• आजन्यसंचितम्: accumulated since birth
• आजन्यसंचितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ + जन्म (प्रातिपदिक) + संचित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (पापम् इति); सप्तमी/अव्ययीभावार्थ-तत्पुरुषः (आ जन्म = from birth; accumulated since birth)

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तत्क्षणात्: from that very moment
• तत्क्षणात्: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (तस्य क्षणः) = ‘from that very moment’

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-निपात (emphatic particle)

• नश्यति: perishes/is destroyed
• नश्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Śiva

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Aparṇā (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim stands at the threshold of departure, staff in hand, mind fixed on Kedāra; above, a vision of Kedāreśvara in snowy peaks appears. Dark smoke-like ‘pāpa’ dissolves instantly at the moment of resolve.

Characters & Entities

• Kedāra
• Kedāreśvara (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A sincere saṅkalpa (firm resolve) toward a sacred pilgrimage is itself spiritually transformative and purifying.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kedāra is praised as a tīrtha whose very intention to visit grants purification.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Making a determined resolve to undertake Kedāra-yātrā is the implied prescription.