Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 73

Devanagari script

स्नापयित्वा विधानेन यो लिंगस्नपनोदकम् । त्रिः पिबेत्त्रिविधं पापं तस्येहाशु प्रणश्यति

Transliteration

snāpayitvā vidhānena yo liṃgasnapanodakam | triḥ pibettrividhaṃ pāpaṃ tasyehāśu praṇaśyati

Translation

വിധിപ്രകാരം ലിംഗത്തെ സ്നാപനം ചെയ്ത്, ആ സ്നാപനജലം മൂന്നു പ്രാവശ്യം പാനം ചെയ്യുന്നവന്റെ ത്രിവിധ പാപം ഇഹലോകത്തിൽ തന്നേ വേഗം നശിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• snāpayitvā: having bathed/caused to bathe
• snāpayitvā: Sambandha (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √snā (धातु) + णिच् (causative)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund); णिजन्त (causative) प्रयोगः: 'स्नापयित्वा' = स्नानं कारयित्वा

• vidhānena: according to the prescribed rite
• vidhānena: Karana (Instrument/means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vidhāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• liṅga-snapana-udakam: the water used for bathing the liṅga
• liṅga-snapana-udakam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + snapana (प्रातिपदिक) + udaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (लिङ्गस्य स्नपनस्य उदकम्)

• triḥ: three times
• triḥ: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: triḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: संख्यावाचक-अव्यय (adverb: thrice)

• pibet: should drink
• pibet: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √pā (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• trividham: threefold
• trividham: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri (प्रातिपदिक) + vidha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (त्रयः विधाः यस्य)

• pāpam: sin
• pāpam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• iha: here (in this world)
• iha: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: here/in this world)

• āśu: quickly
• āśu: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: āśu (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: quickly)

• praṇaśyati: perishes/is destroyed
• praṇaśyati: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√naś (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Liṅga-snāna-tīrtha (abhiṣeka-jala) in Kāśī

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Priest bathes the liṅga with streams of water and milk; devotee receives the abhiṣeka water in cupped hands and sips thrice, with a subtle aura indicating sins dissolving.

Characters & Entities

• Liṅga
• Snapana (ritual bathing)
• Pāpa (sin)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Consecrated remnants of worship, received with faith and proper method, are powerful means of purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa frame, Kāśī is the implied sacred environment for these Śaiva rites.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform liṅga-snapana (abhiṣeka) properly, then drink the snapana-water three times as a purificatory act.