Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

सर्वदा यत्र सर्वाणि दशम्यादिदिनत्रयम् । तिष्ठंति तीर्थवर्याणि निजनैर्मल्यहेतवे

Transliteration

sarvadā yatra sarvāṇi daśamyādidinatrayam | tiṣṭhaṃti tīrthavaryāṇi nijanairmalyahetave

Translation

അത് അത്തരം സ്ഥലമാണ്; അവിടെ എപ്പോഴും ദശമി മുതൽ ആരംഭിക്കുന്ന മൂന്നു ദിവസങ്ങളിൽ ശ്രേഷ്ഠ തീർത്ഥങ്ങൾ തങ്ങളുടെ തന്നെ നിർമലതയ്ക്കായി നിലകൊള്ളുന്നു.

Word by Word

• सर्वदा: always
• सर्वदा: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; नित्यत्ववाचक (always)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक सम्बन्ध (where)

• सर्वाणि: all
• सर्वाणि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• दशम्यादिदिनत्रयम्: the three days beginning with the tenth (lunar day)
• दशम्यादिदिनत्रयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दशमी (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + दिन (प्रातिपदिक) + त्रय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: दशम्याः आदिः यस्य तत् (starting with the tenth) + दिनत्रयम् (three days)

• तिष्ठन्ति: remain / stay
• तिष्ठन्ति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• तीर्थवर्याणि: the excellent sacred places
• तीर्थवर्याणि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + वर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय: वर्याणि तीर्थाणि (excellent tīrthas)

• निजनैर्मल्यहेतवे: for the cause of one’s own purity
• निजनैर्मल्यहेतवे: Sampradana (Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निज (प्रातिपदिक) + नैर्मल्य (प्रातिपदिक) + हेतु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: निजस्य नैर्मल्यस्य हेतुः (cause of one’s purity)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pañcanada (Daśamī-ādi tithi-traya)

Type: sangam

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Three-day festival-like ghat scene: banners, lamps, and orderly pilgrims; subtle divine presences representing ‘foremost tīrthas’ lingering near the waters, as if resting there for purification.

Characters & Entities

• Daśamī (tithi)
• Pañcanada Tīrtha (contextual)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred time and sacred place interlock: specific tithis intensify tīrtha-presence and purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The convergence-place of ‘tīrtha-varyas,’ understood in context as the Pañcanada tīrtha region in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A three-day observance tied to the tithi beginning with Daśamī, ideally involving tīrtha-sevā such as snāna.