Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 62

Devanagari script

मखतीर्थं तु तत्रैव मखैश्वर समीपतः । मखजं पुण्यमाप्नोति तत्र स्नातो नरोत्तमः

Transliteration

makhatīrthaṃ tu tatraiva makhaiśvara samīpataḥ | makhajaṃ puṇyamāpnoti tatra snāto narottamaḥ

Translation

അവിടെയേ മഖേശ്വരന്റെ സമീപത്ത് ‘മഖതീർത്ഥം’ ഉണ്ട്. അവിടെ സ്നാനം ചെയ്യുന്ന നരോത്തമൻ യജ്ഞജന്യ പുണ്യം പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• makhatīrtham: Makha-tīrtha (a sacred place)
• makhatīrtham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: makha (प्रातिपदिक) + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन (singular); तत्पुरुष: मखस्य तीर्थम् = Makha-tīrtha (name)

• tu: indeed/but
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle): but/indeed

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb): there

• eva: just/only
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle): only/just

• makhaiśvara: of Makheśvara
• makhaiśvara: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: makha (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), षष्ठी (Genitive), एकवचन (singular) (सम्बन्धे); ‘of/near Makheśvara’ (proper name)

• samīpataḥ: near/from the vicinity
• samīpataḥ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: samīpa (प्रातिपदिक) + tas (तसिल्)
• Form: अव्यय (adverbial ablative in -tas): from/at the vicinity; ‘near’

• makhajam: arising from Makha (rite/place)
• makhajam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: makha (प्रातिपदिक) + ja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन (singular); तत्पुरुष: मखात् जातम् = born of Makha; विशेषण of puṇyam

• puṇyam: merit
• puṇyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन (singular)

• āpnoti: attains
• āpnoti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā√āp (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb): there

• snātaḥ: having bathed
• snātaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: snā (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय, past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन (singular); ‘having bathed’

• narottamaḥ: the best of men
• narottamaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक) + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन (singular); कर्मधारय: उत्तमः नरः = best of men

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Makha-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A small tīrtha beside a shrine of Makheśvara; subtle yajña imagery—smoke from a modest homa-kunda, priests with ladles, while a pilgrim bathes, suggesting snāna as yajña-merit.

Characters & Entities

• Makha Tīrtha
• Makheśvara
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s tīrthas can confer the merit of great rites; sacred place and right action together generate puṇya.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Makha-tīrtha, located near Makheśvara in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bathing (snāna) at Makha-tīrtha.