Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

शुचिशुक्लचतुर्दश्यां पंचदश्यामथापि वा । कृत्वा सांवत्सरीं यात्रामनेना जायते नरः

Transliteration

śuciśuklacaturdaśyāṃ paṃcadaśyāmathāpi vā | kṛtvā sāṃvatsarīṃ yātrāmanenā jāyate naraḥ

Translation

ശുചിമാസത്തിലെ ശുക്ലപക്ഷ ചതുര്ദശിയിലോ പൗർണ്ണമിയിലോ ഈ വാർഷിക യാത്ര നിർവഹിച്ചാൽ, മനുഷ്യൻ അതിലൂടെ വാഗ്ദത്തമായ ആത്മീയ ഫലം പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• शुचिशुक्लचतुर्दश्याम्: on the pure bright fourteenth (tithi)
• शुचिशुक्लचतुर्दश्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुचि + शुक्ल + चतुर्दशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (विशेषण-समाहार: शुचौ शुक्लायां चतुर्दश्याम्)

• पञ्चदश्याम्: on the fifteenth (tithi)
• पञ्चदश्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्चदशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• अथ: then/also
• अथ: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conj./sequencer)

• अपि: also/even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle: also/even)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Alternative/विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (disjunctive particle)

• कृत्वा: having done
• कृत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (Gerund/absolutive)

• सांवत्सरीम्: annual
• सांवत्सरीम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सांवत्सरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण

• यात्राम्: pilgrimage/journey
• यात्राम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यात्रा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• अनेन: by this (means)
• अनेन: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• जायते: is born/comes to be
• जायते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

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

Speaker

Skanda (contextual attribution within Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogues)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sāṃvatsarī Kāśī-yātrā (annual pilgrimage in Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Muni (sage interlocutor)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A calendar-marked pilgrimage day in bright fortnight: devotees stream through Kāśī’s ghāṭs and lanes, carrying offerings; the moon is near-full, and the yātrā is depicted as a continuous procession linking shrines.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage undertaken with correct timing and method becomes a powerful yearly discipline that yields spiritual attainment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), through the notion of a prescribed annual yātrā circuit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform the annual yātrā on the bright-fortnight 14th or 15th tithi of the month Śuci.