Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 79

Devanagari script

पिशाचमोचने स्नात्वा कपर्दीशं समर्च्य च । कृत्वा तत्रान्नदानं च नरोन्यत्रापि निर्भयाः

Transliteration

piśācamocane snātvā kapardīśaṃ samarcya ca | kṛtvā tatrānnadānaṃ ca naronyatrāpi nirbhayāḥ

Translation

പൈശാചമോചനത്തിൽ സ്നാനം ചെയ്ത് കപർദീശനെ സമ്യകമായി ആരാധിച്ച് അവിടെ അന്നദാനം ചെയ്താൽ മനുഷ്യൻ മറ്റിടങ്ങളിലും നിർഭയനാകും।

Word by Word

• पिशाचमोचने: at (the place/rite of) piśāca-release
• पिशाचमोचने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: piśāca-mocana (प्रातिपदिक; पिशाच + मोचन)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचनम्; locative singular; name/description of tīrtha/rite

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √snā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/त्वान्त); ‘having bathed’

• कपर्दीशम्: Kapardīśa (Lord Śiva)
• कपर्दीशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kapardī-īśa (प्रातिपदिक; कपर्दी + ईश)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचनम्; accusative singular; deity-name (Śiva)

• समर्च्य: having worshipped
• समर्च्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-√arc (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/त्वान्त); ‘having worshipped’

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• कृत्वा: having done
• कृत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/त्वान्त); ‘having done’

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Desha-adhikarana (Locative sense/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• अन्नदानम्: gift of food, feeding (charity)
• अन्नदानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anna-dāna (प्रातिपदिक; अन्न + दान)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचनम्; accusative singular

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• नरः: a man/person
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचनम्; nominative singular

• अन्यत्र: elsewhere
• अन्यत्र: Desha-adhikarana (Locative sense/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: anyatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: elsewhere)

• अपि: even, also
• अपि: Nipata (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधानार्थक-निपात (particle: even/also)

• निर्भयाः: fearless
• निर्भयाः: Karta-visheshana (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nir-bhaya (प्रातिपदिक; निर् + भय)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचनम्; nominative plural; predicate adjective (text seems to shift to plural)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Piśācamocana

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At the ghāṭa: a devotee emerges from snāna, offers bilva and flowers to a small Kapardīśa liṅga shrine, then distributes food to waiting pilgrims and the needy; the devotee’s posture is steady and fearless.

Characters & Entities

• Piśācamocana Tīrtha
• Kapardīśa (Śiva)
• Anna-dāna
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is completed by devotion (pūjā) and compassion (dāna), yielding inner fearlessness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Piśācamocana Tīrtha, alongside the shrine/presence of Kapardīśa in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna at the tīrtha, worship of Kapardīśa (Śiva), and anna-dāna (food charity) at that place.