Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 59

Devanagari script

शुचिर्गंगांभसि स्नातो यो जपेच्छतरुद्रियम् । निर्वाणमंडपे ज्ञेयः स रुद्रो द्विजवेषभृत्

Transliteration

śucirgaṃgāṃbhasi snāto yo japecchatarudriyam | nirvāṇamaṃḍape jñeyaḥ sa rudro dvijaveṣabhṛt

Translation

ശുചിയായി ഗംഗാജലത്തിൽ സ്നാനം ചെയ്ത് ശതരുദ്രീയം ജപിക്കുന്നവനെ, നിർവാണമണ്ഡപത്തിൽ ദ്വിജവേഷം ധരിച്ചിരിക്കുന്ന സ്വയം രുദ്രനെന്നു അറിയുക.

Word by Word

• शुचिः: pure
• शुचिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुचि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; गुणवाचक विशेषण

• गङ्गाम्भसि: in the waters of the Gaṅgā
• गङ्गाम्भसि: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा-अम्भस् (प्रातिपदिक; गङ्गा + अम्भस्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण (locative)

• स्नातः: having bathed
• स्नातः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्ना (धातु) + क्त (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगे ‘having bathed’

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun)

• जपेत्: should recite
• जपेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• शतरुद्रियम्: the Śatarudriya (hymn)
• शतरुद्रियम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत-रुद्रिय (प्रातिपदिक; शत + रुद्रिय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; पाठ/स्तोत्रवाचक

• निर्वाणमण्डपे: in the Nirvāṇa pavilion
• निर्वाणमण्डपे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निर्वाण-मण्डप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• ज्ञेयः: is to be known (as)
• ज्ञेयः: Kriya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु) + यत् (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भाव्य/विधेय कृदन्त (gerundive), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘ज्ञातव्यः’

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; निर्देश (demonstrative)

• रुद्रः: Rudra
• रुद्रः: Kriya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; उपपद-सम्बन्धे विधेय (predicate nominative)

• द्विजवेषभृत्: wearing the guise of a twice-born (brahmin)
• द्विजवेषभृत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्विज-वेष-भृत् (प्रातिपदिक; द्विज + वेष + भृत्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘भृत्’ (धात्वर्थक-प्रातिपदिक) अन्त्य; विशेषण

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (Kāśī) and Nirvāṇa Maṇḍapa

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Purāṇic audience within Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim emerges from the Gaṅgā after snāna, wet hair and clean cloth, then stands/sits in a mandapa reciting Śatarudrīya; a subtle overlay shows Rudra’s form aligning with the reciter.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Nirvāṇa Maṇḍapa
• Rudra
• Śatarudrīya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Vedic devotion joined with purity and sacred place transforms the worshipper into a living presence of Rudra.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgā in Kāśī and the Nirvāṇa Maṇḍapa precinct.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bathing in Gaṅgā water and reciting the Śatarudrīya.