Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 88

Devanagari script

बंदीतीर्थं महाश्रेष्ठं काशिपुर्यां विशांपते । तत्र स्नातो नरो यायाद्विमुक्तिं देव्यनुग्रहात्

Transliteration

baṃdītīrthaṃ mahāśreṣṭhaṃ kāśipuryāṃ viśāṃpate | tatra snāto naro yāyādvimuktiṃ devyanugrahāt

Translation

ഹേ വിശാംപതേ! കാശീപുരിയിൽ ബന്ദീതീർത്ഥം മഹാശ്രേഷ്ഠമാണ്. അവിടെ സ്നാനം ചെയ്ത മനുഷ്യൻ ദേവിയുടെ അനുഗ്രഹത്താൽ മോക്ഷം പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• बंदीतीर्थम्: Bandī-tīrtha
• बंदीतीर्थम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बंदी-तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक; बंदी + तीर्थ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• महा-श्रेष्ठम्: most excellent
• महा-श्रेष्ठम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (‘महाच श्रेष्ठम्’ = very excellent)

• काशिपुर्याम्: in the city of Kāśī
• काशिपुर्याम्: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी-पुरि (प्रातिपदिक; काशी + पुरि)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (‘काश्यां पुरि’ = city of Kāśī)

• विशाम्: of the people
• विशाम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘people/subjects’)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (विश्), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• पते: O lord
• पते: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

• स्नातः: having bathed
• स्नातः: Karta (कर्ता; ‘one who has bathed’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √स्ना (स्नाने) (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• यायात्: would go/attain
• यायात्: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √या (गत्यर्थे) (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• विमुक्तिम्: liberation
• विमुक्तिम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वि-मुक्ति (प्रातिपदिक; वि + मुक्ति)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• देवी: the Goddess
• देवी: Samasa-anga (समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; समासाङ्ग (component: ‘the Goddess’)

• अनुग्रहात्: from (her) grace
• अनुग्रहात्: Hetu (हेतु/Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनुग्रह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• देव्यनुग्रहात्: by the Goddess’s grace
• देव्यनुग्रहात्: Hetu (हेतु/Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी + अनुग्रह (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘देव्याः अनुग्रहः’ = grace of the Goddess)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bandī Tīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Viśāṃpati (addressed as ‘lord of men’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Bandī Tīrtha bathing scene with an ethereal Devī presence above the waters—soft halo, lotus, and protective gesture—signifying ‘devy-anugraha’ granting vimukti to the pilgrim.

Characters & Entities

• Bandī Tīrtha
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Devī (Goddess)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Liberation is ultimately attributed to divine grace (anugraha), with tīrtha-bathing serving as a sacred means that invites that grace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Bandī Tīrtha in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna at Bandī Tīrtha, with the promised result being vimukti through Devī’s favor.