Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

तद्दक्षिणायां काष्ठायां शेषतीर्थमनुत्तमम् । महापापौघ शेषोपि न तिष्ठेद्यन्निमज्जनात्

Transliteration

taddakṣiṇāyāṃ kāṣṭhāyāṃ śeṣatīrthamanuttamam | mahāpāpaugha śeṣopi na tiṣṭhedyannimajjanāt

Translation

അതിന്റെ തെക്കുഭാഗത്തെ കാഷ്ഠയിൽ അനുത്തമമായ ശേഷ തീർത്ഥം ഉണ്ട്. അവിടെ മുങ്ങിയാൽ മഹാപാപപ്രവാഹത്തിന്റെ ശേഷിപ്പും നിലനിൽക്കുകയില്ല.

Word by Word

• तत्: that
• तत्: Sambandha (Deictic)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘दक्षिणायाम्’ इत्यस्य निर्देशक (that)

• दक्षिणायाम्: in the southern (side)
• दक्षिणायाम्: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्षिणा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अधिकरणम् (in the southern direction/side)

• काष्ठायाम्: in the quarter/direction
• काष्ठायाम्: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काष्ठा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; दिशावाचक-शब्दः (quarter/direction)

• शेषतीर्थम्: the Śeṣa tīrtha
• शेषतीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शेष (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (शेषस्य तीर्थम्)

• अनुत्तमम्: unsurpassed
• अनुत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनुत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘शेषतीर्थम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• महापापौघः: a great flood of sins
• महापापौघः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + ओघ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (महान् पापानाम् ओघः)

• शेषः: remaining
• शेषः: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘महापापौघः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम् (remaining)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्भावना/अपि-कारार्थक-अव्यय (even/also)

• न: does not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• तिष्ठेत्: would remain
• तिष्ठेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (√स्था धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; ‘तिष्ठेत्’ = would remain/stand

• यत्: because (of which)
• यत्: Hetu (Cause marker)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (because/that which)

• निमज्जनात्: from immersion (there)
• निमज्जनात्: Apadana/Hetu (Cause/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नि + मज्ज् (√मज्ज् धातु) + अन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान/हेतु), एकवचन; कृदन्त-भाववाचक ‘निमज्जन’ (immersion)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śeṣa-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee performs full immersion at a quiet Kāśī water-step; above, a symbolic presence of Śeṣa (cosmic serpent) as a protective canopy; dark ink-like ‘sins’ dissolve into clear water.

Characters & Entities

• Śeṣa-tīrtha
• Śeṣa
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Mahāpāpa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The tīrtha is celebrated as radically purifying—sin is depicted as unable to endure the sanctity of the place.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śeṣa-tīrtha, located on the southern side within the Kāśī tīrtha landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Nimajjana—ritual immersion/bathing at Śeṣa-tīrtha.