Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 93

Devanagari script

ततोति निर्मलतरं शक्रतीर्थं नृपांगज । शुक्रद्वारा न जायेत यत्र स्नातो नरोत्तमः

Transliteration

tatoti nirmalataraṃ śakratīrthaṃ nṛpāṃgaja | śukradvārā na jāyeta yatra snāto narottamaḥ

Translation

അതിനുശേഷം, ഹേ രാജകുമാരാ, അതിലും നിർമലമായ ശക്രതീർത്ഥം. അവിടെ സ്നാനം ചെയ്യുന്ന ശ്രേഷ്ഠൻ ‘ശുക്രദ്വാരം’ വഴി വീണ്ടും ജനിക്കുകയില്ല.

Word by Word

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

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/समाप्त्यर्थक-अव्यय (quotative/particle)

• निर्मलतरम्: more pure
• निर्मलतरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्मलतर (प्रातिपदिक; तरप्-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular; comparative)

• शक्रतीर्थम्: the Śakra tīrtha
• शक्रतीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्र-तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक; शक्र + तीर्थ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular)

• नृपाङ्गज: O son of the king
• नृपाङ्गज: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप-अङ्गज (प्रातिपदिक; नृप + अङ्गज)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Vocative, Singular)

• शुक्रद्वारा: through the (seminal) passage; by the door of semen
• शुक्रद्वारा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुक्र-द्वार (प्रातिपदिक; शुक्र + द्वार)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Instrumental, Singular)

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

• जायेत: would be born
• जायेत: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √जन् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (Optative, 3rd person, Singular, Atmanepada)

• 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 (Masculine, Nominative, Singular; past participle)

• नरोत्तमः: the best of men
• नरोत्तमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर-उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक; नर + उत्तम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śakra-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpāṅgaja (prince)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous tīrtha with a subtle Indra iconography—vajra motif on a small shrine pillar—while pilgrims bathe; the air feels ‘clear’ and bright, suggesting nirmalatā and release.

Characters & Entities

• Śakra (Indra)
• Śakra-tīrtha
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purity gained through tīrtha-bathing is framed as liberation-oriented, cutting the cycle of embodied re-entry.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śakra-tīrtha, associated with Śakra/Indra, praised as exceptionally purifying in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna at Śakra-tīrtha; the fruit is described as avoiding further birth (in a figurative ‘Śukra-gate’ expression).