Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 74

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मणेभ्यस्तदुद्देशाद्देया वै मोदका मुदे । भौमे भैरवयात्रा च कार्या पातकहारिणी

Transliteration

brāhmaṇebhyastaduddeśāddeyā vai modakā mude | bhaume bhairavayātrā ca kāryā pātakahāriṇī

Translation

അതേ ഉദ്ദേശത്തോടെ ബ്രാഹ്മണർക്കു സന്തോഷത്തോടെ മോദകങ്ങൾ നിർബന്ധമായി ദാനം ചെയ്യണം. കൂടാതെ ചൊവ്വാഴ്ച പാപഹാരിണിയായ ഭൈരവയാത്ര നടത്തണം.

Word by Word

• brāhmaṇebhyaḥ: to the brāhmaṇas
• brāhmaṇebhyaḥ: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी विभक्तिः (Dative/4th), बहुवचनम्; सम्प्रदानम्

• tad-uddeśāt: for that purpose / by that intention
• tad-uddeśāt: Apadana (Cause/Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad + uddeśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी विभक्तिः (Ablative/5th), एकवचनम्; हेत्वर्थे/निमित्ते (on account of/for that purpose)

• deyāḥ: should be given
• deyāḥ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धातु)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्यय (यत्) ‘देय’ = to be given; बहुवचनम्, प्रथमा (agreeing with modakāḥ understood); विधेयता (ought to be given)

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निश्चयार्थक particle) = indeed

• modakāḥ: modakas (sweet dumplings)
• modakāḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: modaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्तिः (Nominative/1st), बहुवचनम्; कर्तृस्थानी (in passive/obligative construction)

• mude: for joy
• mude: Sampradana (Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mud (प्रातिपदिक: mudā/mud)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी विभक्तिः (Dative/4th), एकवचनम्; प्रयोजनार्थे (for joy)

• bhaume: on Tuesday
• bhaume: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhauma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्तिः (Locative/7th), एकवचनम्; कालवाचक (on Tuesday / on Mars-day)

• bhairava-yātrā: Bhairava pilgrimage/rite
• bhairava-yātrā: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhairava + yātrā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्तिः (Nominative/1st), एकवचनम्; कर्तृस्थानी (in obligative)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयार्थक conjunction) = and

• kāryā: should be done
• kāryā: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्यय (यत्) ‘कार्य’ = to be done; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनम् (bhairava-yātrā इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)

• pātaka-hāriṇī: sin-destroying
• pātaka-hāriṇī: Sambandha (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pātaka + hāriṇī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्तिः (Nominative/1st), एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (yātrā) — ‘पातकं हरति’ (sin-removing)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bhairava-yātrā (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims prepare sweet modakas and offer them to Brāhmaṇas with reverence; later, on a Tuesday, they proceed to Bhairava’s shrine—fierce yet protective—seeking purification and fearlessness.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇas
• Modaka
• Bhairava
• Tuesday (Bhauma-vāra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charity and disciplined pilgrimage in Kāśī function as practical dharma that purifies and protects.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Bhairava’s yātrā-sites in Kāśī, associated with pāpaharaṇa (sin-removal).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offer modakas to Brāhmaṇas, and perform Bhairava-yātrā specifically on Tuesday.