Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 79

Devanagari script

हरिश्चंद्रस्य राजर्षस्ततस्तीर्थमनुत्तमम् । यत्र स्नातो नरो जातु न सत्याच्चयवते कचित्

Transliteration

hariścaṃdrasya rājarṣastatastīrthamanuttamam | yatra snāto naro jātu na satyāccayavate kacit

Translation

അതിനുശേഷം രാജർഷി ഹരിശ്ചന്ദ്രന്റെ അനുത്തമ തീർത്ഥം. അവിടെ സ്നാനം ചെയ്ത മനുഷ്യൻ ഒരിക്കലും സത്യത്തിൽ നിന്ന് വഴുതുകയില്ല.

Word by Word

• हरिश्चन्द्रस्य: of Hariścandra
• हरिश्चन्द्रस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरिश्चन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• राजर्षेः: of the royal sage
• राजर्षेः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजर्षि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• ततः: thereupon/then
• ततः: Adhikarana/Context (circumstantial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रकारः: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• तीर्थम्: a sacred ford; pilgrimage place
• तीर्थम्: Karma/Predicate nominal (object/complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• अनुत्तमम्: unsurpassed, excellent
• अनुत्तमम्: Visheshana (adjectival modifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनुत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifier)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रकारः: देशवाचक-सम्बन्धबोधक (relative adverb ‘where’)

• स्नातः: having bathed
• स्नातः: Karta (agent/subject qualifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्नात (स्ना धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय; कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• जातु: ever, at any time
• जातु: Adverbial (time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: जातु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रकारः: कालवाचक (temporal particle ‘ever/at any time’)

• न: not
• न: Negation
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• सत्यात्: from truth
• सत्यात्: Apadana (source/ablative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• च्यवते: falls away, deviates
• च्यवते: Kriya (verbal action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: च्यु (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• कचित्: anywhere/ever
• कचित्: Adverbial (indefinite)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रकारः: अनिश्चित-स्थान/कालवाचक (indefinite ‘anywhere/ever’)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hariścandra-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at a Kāśī water-edge performs snāna with folded hands; a regal, austere Hariścandra is envisioned as a dharma-guardian presence, with subtle iconographic cues of truth (upright posture, clear gaze).

Characters & Entities

• Hariścandra
• Harīścandra-tīrtha
• Kāśī (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is meant to stabilize dharma; bathing at this tīrtha is praised as strengthening unwavering truthfulness (satya).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Harīścandra-tīrtha in Kāśī, associated with the famed king-sage Hariścandra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) at the Harīścandra-tīrtha.