Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 74

Devanagari script

ततो महोदयावाप्तिः कर्मनिर्मूलनक्षमा । अतः काश्यां प्रयत्नेन स्नान दान तपो जपः

Transliteration

tato mahodayāvāptiḥ karmanirmūlanakṣamā | ataḥ kāśyāṃ prayatnena snāna dāna tapo japaḥ

Translation

അതിൽ നിന്നു മഹത്തായ ആത്മീയ സമൃദ്ധി ലഭിക്കുന്നു; അത് കർമ്മമൂലത്തെ തന്നെ നിർമൂലനം ചെയ്യാൻ ശേഷിയുള്ളതാണ്. അതുകൊണ്ട് കാശിയിൽ പരിശ്രമത്തോടെ സ്നാനം, ദാനം, തപസ്, ജപം ചെയ്യണം.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: thereafter; from that
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Context/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — अपादान/हेतु-अर्थे; “तस्मात्/ततः” = ‘thereafter/therefrom’

• mahā-udaya-avāptiḥ: attainment of great prosperity
• mahā-udaya-avāptiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + udaya (प्रातिपदिक) + avāpti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (महान् उदयः यस्य/महानुदयस्य अवाप्तिः)

• karma-nirmūlana-kṣamā: capable of uprooting karma
• karma-nirmūlana-kṣamā: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: karma (प्रातिपदिक) + nirmūlana (कृदन्त; √mūl ‘मूल’ + नि-; ल्युट्/भाव) + kṣamā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (अवाप्तिः इत्यस्य); समासः—तत्पुरुषः (कर्मणां निर्मूलने क्षमा)

• ataḥ: therefore
• ataḥ: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/हेतु) — ‘therefore/for this reason’

• kāśyām: in Kāśī
• kāśyām: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरणम् (locative)

• prayatnena: with effort
• prayatnena: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prayatna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; करणम् (instrumental)

• snānam: bathing
• snānam: Karma (Object/Practice)
• Type: Noun
• Root: snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समुच्चित-विषयः (enumeration)

• dānam: giving; charity
• dānam: Karma (Object/Practice)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समुच्चित-विषयः

• tapaḥ: austerity
• tapaḥ: Karma (Object/Practice)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समुच्चित-विषयः

• japaḥ: recitation; mantra-japa
• japaḥ: Karma (Object/Practice)
• Type: Noun
• Root: japa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समुच्चित-विषयः

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at dawn on a Gaṅgā-ghāṭa in Kāśī performs snāna, then offers dāna to a brāhmaṇa/poor, sits in tapas (steady posture) and counts japa beads facing a distant Viśveśvara shrine spire.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī-centered practice is portrayed as karma-destroying: steady disciplines there lead to profound spiritual uplift.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) is directly named as the place where these practices bear exceptional fruit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform snāna (bath), dāna (charity), tapaḥ (austerity), and japa (mantra repetition) with sincere effort in Kāśī.