Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 92

Devanagari script

अशोकतीर्थं तत्रैव ततोप्यतितरां शुभम् । यत्र स्नातो नरो जातु नापतेच्छोकसागरे

Transliteration

aśokatīrthaṃ tatraiva tatopyatitarāṃ śubham | yatra snāto naro jātu nāpatecchokasāgare

Translation

അവിടെയുതന്നെ അശോകതീർത്ഥം ഉണ്ട്; അതിലും അത്യന്തം ശുഭപ്രദം. അവിടെ സ്നാനം ചെയ്ത മനുഷ്യൻ ഒരിക്കലും ശോകസാഗരത്തിൽ പതിക്കുകയില്ല.

Word by Word

• अशोकतीर्थम्: the Aśoka sacred ford (tīrtha)
• अशोकतीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अशोक-तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक; अशोक + तीर्थ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: स्थानवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• ततः: from that; then
• ततः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अपादानार्थक/क्रमवाचक-अव्यय (ablatival/sequential adverb: 'from that/then')

• अपि: also/even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक-अव्यय (additive particle: 'also/even')

• अतितराम्: exceedingly/very much
• अतितराम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अतितर (प्रातिपदिक; तरप्-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अव्ययीभावेन क्रियाविशेषणवत् (Feminine, Accusative, Singular; used adverbially: 'exceedingly')

• शुभम्: auspicious
• शुभम्: Visheshya (Qualified noun/विशेष्य)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्ध-स्थानवाचक-अव्यय (relative locative adverb: 'where')

• स्नातः: having bathed
• स्नातः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्नात (कृदन्त; √स्ना (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि/भूतकृत् (Masculine, Nominative, Singular; past participle: 'having bathed')

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

• जातु: ever
• जातु: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: जातु (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal particle: 'ever/at any time')

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation)

• आपतेत्: would fall into
• आपतेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √पत् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्/विधिलिङ् (विधिलिङ्), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (Optative, 3rd person, Singular, Parasmaipada)

• शोकसागरे: in the ocean of sorrow
• शोकसागरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शोक-सागर (प्रातिपदिक; शोक + सागर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Locative, Singular)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Aśoka-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpāṅgaja / nṛpa (a prince/king addressed in the passage)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim descends stone steps into a calm tīrtha pool/river-edge in Kāśī; the atmosphere is cooling and consoling, with priests holding waterpots and bilva leaves; the pilgrim’s face shifts from grief to serenity.

Characters & Entities

• Aśoka-tīrtha
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s tīrthas are portrayed as transforming inner suffering; sacred bathing symbolizes release from grief through dharma and devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Aśoka-tīrtha, a sacred bathing place in Kāśī praised for removing sorrow.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) at Aśoka-tīrtha, presented as the key act yielding freedom from grief.