Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

गदातीर्थं तदग्रे तु संसारगदनाशनम् । तत्र श्राद्धादिकरणात्पश्येद्देवं गदाधरम्

Transliteration

gadātīrthaṃ tadagre tu saṃsāragadanāśanam | tatra śrāddhādikaraṇātpaśyeddevaṃ gadādharam

Translation

അതിന്റെ മുൻപിൽ ഗദാതീർത്ഥം; അത് സംസാരരൂപ രോഗം നശിപ്പിക്കുന്നു. അവിടെ ശ്രാദ്ധാദി കർമങ്ങൾ ചെയ്താൽ ഭക്തൻ ഗദാധരദേവനെ ദർശിക്കും.

Word by Word

• गदातीर्थम्: Gadā-tīrtha
• गदातीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गदातीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (गदायाः तीर्थम्)

• तत्: of that
• तत्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम; (अग्रे इत्यनेन सह—‘तस्य’)

• अग्रे: ahead; in front
• अग्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावार्थे ‘in front/ahead’

• तु: but; indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेष-निपात (but/indeed)

• संसारगदनाशनम्: destroyer of the disease of worldly existence
• संसारगदनाशनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संसार + गद + नाशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुष (संसारस्य गदा; तस्य नाशनम्); विशेषणम् (गदातीर्थम्)

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

• श्राद्धादिकरणात्: from performing śrāddha and the like
• श्राद्धादिकरणात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध + आदि + करण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुष (श्राद्धम् आदि यस्य; तस्य करणम्)

• पश्येत्: would see
• पश्येत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद; प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; धातुः दृश् (to see)

• देवम्: the god
• देवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• गदाधरम्: the mace-bearer
• गदाधरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गदा + धर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः उपपद-तत्पुरुष (गदां धरति इति); विशेषणम् (देवम्)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gadā-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A riverside platform where a householder performs śrāddha—pinda offerings, sesame-water tarpaṇa—while a radiant Viṣṇu as Gadādhara appears in a subtle vision, holding the mace.

Characters & Entities

• Gadā-tīrtha
• Gadādhara (Viṣṇu)
• Śrāddha
• Kāśī (Varanasi)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly suffering is framed as a curable ‘disease’; dharmic rites done at a sanctified place purify and draw the devotee toward divine vision.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gadā-tīrtha in Kāśī, praised for removing the affliction of saṃsāra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śrāddha and associated ritual duties (śrāddhādi) performed at the tīrtha.