Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

यत्र सर्वावभृथतः स्नानमात्रं विशिष्यते । अप्युष्णीकृतपानीयैस्तां काशीं कः परित्यजेत्

Transliteration

yatra sarvāvabhṛthataḥ snānamātraṃ viśiṣyate | apyuṣṇīkṛtapānīyaistāṃ kāśīṃ kaḥ parityajet

Translation

എവിടെ വെറും സ്നാനമാത്രം തന്നെ എല്ലാ അവഭൃതസ്നാനങ്ങളെയും അതിക്രമിച്ച് ശ്രേഷ്ഠമാകുന്നുവോ—അവിടത്തെ ജലം ചൂടാക്കിയതായാലും, ആ കാശിയെ ആര് ഉപേക്ഷിക്കും?

Word by Word

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (सम्बन्ध/देशवाचक अव्यय) — relative adverb “where”

• सर्वावभृथतः: from (the fruit of) all avabhṛtha baths
• सर्वावभृथतः: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व-अवभृथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन; अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोगः “सर्वावभृथतः” = from (the merit of) all avabhṛtha-baths

• स्नानमात्रम्: mere bathing
• स्नानमात्रम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान-मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• विशिष्यते: is distinguished/excels
• विशिष्यते: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-शिष् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/particle) — concessive/emphatic

• उष्णीकृतपानीयैः: with water made warm (heated water)
• उष्णीकृतपानीयैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उष्णी-कृत-पानीय (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन; भूतकृदन्त ‘कृत’ (PPP) — “made warm”; ‘पानीय’ = drinking-water

• ताम्: that (her)
• ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• काशीम्: Kāśī
• काशीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• कः: who?
• कः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• परित्यजेत्: would abandon
• परित्यजेत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि-त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration, commonly Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta) / Gaṅgā-snānā in Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage-inquirer (typical: ṛṣi/śaunaka-style audience)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Dawn on the Gaṅgā at Kāśī: pilgrims stepping into the river for snāna, steam-like mist rising, temples and ghāṭas silhouetted; a narrator-voice praising that even warmed water cannot diminish Kāśī’s greatness.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Snāna (bathing)
• Avabhṛtha (concluding bath of sacrifice)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s sanctity is so great that simple acts there yield extraordinary merit, outshining complex ritual achievements.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) as a supreme tīrtha where snāna itself becomes exceptionally meritorious.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) in Kāśī is extolled as surpassing even the avabhṛtha bath of major sacrifices.