Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 56

Devanagari script

स्नात्वा पांचनदे तीर्थे दृष्ट्वा वै बिंदुमाधवम् । न जातु जायते धीमाञ्जननी जठराजिरे

Transliteration

snātvā pāṃcanade tīrthe dṛṣṭvā vai biṃdumādhavam | na jātu jāyate dhīmāñjananī jaṭharājire

Translation

പഞ്ചനദാ തീർത്ഥത്തിൽ സ്നാനം ചെയ്ത് ബിന്ദുമാധവനെ ദർശിച്ച ജ്ഞാനി, പിന്നെ ഒരിക്കലും മാതൃഗർഭമെന്ന ഉദര-കാരാഗാരത്തിൽ ജനിക്കുകയില്ല.

Word by Word

• snātvā: having bathed
• snātvā: Sambandha (Gerund/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: snā (स्ना धातु) + ktvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having bathed)

• pāṃcanade: in Pañcanada (place of five rivers)
• pāṃcanade: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāṃcanada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; विशेषण; द्विगु-समास (पञ्च + नद)

• tīrthe: at the sacred ford
• tīrthe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Sambandha (Gerund/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (दृश् धातु) + ktvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात

• biṃdumādhavam: Bindu-Mādhava (Viṣṇu)
• biṃdumādhavam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: biṃdu-mādhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; देवतानाम (proper noun); तत्पुरुष-समास (बिन्दोः माधवः)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध

• jātu: ever
• jātu: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: jātu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (ever/at any time)

• jāyate: is born; arises
• jāyate: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (जन् धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• dhīmān: a wise man
• dhīmān: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhīmat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• jananī: mother
• jananī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jananī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; (अत्र ‘जननी’ = mother)

• jaṭharājire: in the womb
• jaṭharājire: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jaṭhara-ajira (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (जठरस्य अजिरम् = womb)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pañcanadā

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim emerges from sacred waters at Pañcanadā, dripping and radiant, then stands before Bindu Mādhava (Viṣṇu) in a small shrine; behind, the shadowy wheel of saṃsāra breaks like a chain.

Characters & Entities

• Pañcanada Tīrtha
• Bindu-Mādhava
• Kāśī (implied)
• Viṣṇu (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Snāna and darśana together are framed as a complete salvific act—purifying karma and cutting the cycle of rebirth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Pañcanada Tīrtha in Kāśī, along with the darśana of Bindu-Mādhava.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna at Pañcanada and darśana (devotional viewing) of Bindu-Mādhava.