Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 66

Devanagari script

कपालमोचनं नाम तत्र स्नातोऽश्वमेधभाक् । ऋणमोचनतीर्थं तु तदुदग्दिशि शोभनम्

Transliteration

kapālamocanaṃ nāma tatra snāto'śvamedhabhāk | ṛṇamocanatīrthaṃ tu tadudagdiśi śobhanam

Translation

ആ സ്ഥലം ‘കപാലമോചനം’ എന്ന പേരിൽ പ്രസിദ്ധം; അവിടെ സ്നാനം ചെയ്യുന്നവന് അശ്വമേധയാഗഫലം ലഭിക്കുന്നു. അതിന്റെ വടക്കായി ശോഭനമായ ‘ഋണമോചന തീർത്ഥം’ ഉണ്ട്; അത് കടബാധ്യതകളിൽ നിന്ന് മോചനം നൽകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• कपालमोचनम्: Kapālamocana (name of a tīrtha)
• कपालमोचनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कपाल + मोचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; तीर्थनाम

• नाम: named
• नाम: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: नामार्थक-अव्यय (particle: named/called)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• स्नातः: (one) having bathed
• स्नातः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगे ‘having bathed’

• अश्वमेधभाक्: partaker of the Aśvamedha (merit)
• अश्वमेधभाक्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अश्वमेध + भाज् (धातु; भाक् = कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक ‘भागिन्’)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषणम्; ‘अश्वमेधस्य भागी’

• ऋणमोचनतीर्थम्: Ṛṇamocana-tīrtha (debt-removing ford)
• ऋणमोचनतीर्थम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋण + मोचन + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; ‘ऋणमोचनं तीर्थम्’

• तु: and/indeed
• तु: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विशेष/विरोधार्थक-अव्यय (particle)

• तत्: in that
• तत्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (दिशि)

• उदग्दिशि: in the northern direction
• उदग्दिशि: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उदक्/उदग् + दिश् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; ‘उदग्-दिशि’ (northern direction)

• शोभनम्: beautiful/auspicious
• शोभनम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शोभन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; तीर्थस्य विशेषणम्

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kapālamocana; Ṛṇamocana-tīrtha

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At a small sacred water-spot labeled Kapālamocana, a pilgrim bathes while holding a water-pot; nearby stands Kapāleśa shrine. To the north, another water-spot is indicated as Ṛṇamocana, with offerings of sesame and water for tarpaṇa; a faint horse-sacrifice emblem appears as symbolic Aśvamedha-phala.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Kapālamocana
• Ṛṇamocana-tīrtha
• Aśvamedha
• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s tīrthas are celebrated as extraordinary: a single sacred bath can equal great Vedic sacrifices and relieve burdens like debt.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kapālamocana tīrtha and the nearby Ṛṇamocana-tīrtha to its north.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna at Kapālamocana; the verse also guides pilgrims to Ṛṇamocana-tīrtha for further tīrtha-sevā.