Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

गंगाद्वारे कुरुक्षेत्रे गंगासागरसंगमे । यत्फलं लभते मर्त्यो धर्मतीर्थे तदाप्नुयात्

Transliteration

gaṃgādvāre kurukṣetre gaṃgāsāgarasaṃgame | yatphalaṃ labhate martyo dharmatīrthe tadāpnuyāt

Translation

ഗംഗാദ്വാരം, കുരുക്ഷേത്രം, അല്ലെങ്കിൽ ഗംഗാസാഗര സംഗമത്തിൽ മനുഷ്യൻ നേടുന്ന പുണ്യഫലം, അതേ ഫലം ധർമതീർത്ഥത്തിൽ ലഭിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• गंगाद्वारे: at Gaṅgādvāra (Haridvāra)
• गंगाद्वारे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गंगा + द्वार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (neuter loc. sg.); समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (गंगायाः द्वारम्)

• कुरुक्षेत्रे: in Kurukṣetra
• कुरुक्षेत्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुरु + क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (neuter loc. sg.); समासः—तत्पुरुष (कुरूणां क्षेत्रम्)

• गंगासागरसंगमे: at the confluence of Gaṅgā and the ocean
• गंगासागरसंगमे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गंगा + सागर + संगम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (masc. loc. sg.); समासः—तत्पुरुष (गंगायाः सागरस्य च संगमः)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Visheshana (Correlative/यद्-तद्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• फलम्: fruit
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter acc. sg.)

• लभते: obtains
• लभते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (present, 3rd sg.)

• मर्त्यः: a mortal
• मर्त्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (masc. nom. sg.)

• धर्मतीर्थे: at Dharmatīrtha
• धर्मतीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (neuter loc. sg.); समासः—तत्पुरुष (धर्मस्य तीर्थम्)

• तत्: that (same fruit)
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter acc. sg.)

• आप्नुयात्: should obtain
• आप्नुयात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (optative, 3rd sg.)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharma-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Recipient of the tīrtha-glory teaching (unspecified)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cartographic-sacred montage: Haridwar’s Gaṅgādvāra with mountains, Kurukṣetra’s sacred plain, Gaṅgāsāgara’s ocean meeting, all shown as faint visions hovering above a single Kāśī ghat labeled Dharma-tīrtha where a pilgrim bathes; the visions stream into the water as light.

Characters & Entities

• Dharma-tīrtha
• Gaṅgādvāra
• Kurukṣetra
• Gaṅgā-sāgara-saṅgama
• Gaṅgā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is framed as a spiritual microcosm where the fruits of distant pilgrimages are accessible locally through Dharma-tīrtha.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharma-tīrtha (in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa setting).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pilgrimage merit is tied to tīrtha-contact and bathing (implied by the comparative list of famous bathing sites).