Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

तार्क्ष्य तीर्थं हि तत्रास्ति तार्क्ष्यकेशवसन्निधौ । तत्र स्नात्वा नरो भक्त्या संसाराहिं न पश्यति

Transliteration

tārkṣya tīrthaṃ hi tatrāsti tārkṣyakeśavasannidhau | tatra snātvā naro bhaktyā saṃsārāhiṃ na paśyati

Translation

അവിടെ താർക്ഷ്യ-കേശവന്റെ സന്നിധിയിൽ താർക്ഷ്യ-തീർത്ഥം ഉണ്ട്. ഭക്തിയോടെ അവിടെ സ്നാനം ചെയ്താൽ മനുഷ്യൻ സംസാരമെന്ന സർപ്പത്തെ ഇനി കാണുകയില്ല।

Word by Word

• तार्क्ष्य: of Tārkṣya (Garuda-related)
• तार्क्ष्य: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तार्क्ष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular; विशेषणम् (तार्क्ष्यं तीर्थम्)

• तीर्थम्: a sacred ford/place
• तीर्थम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha-bodhaka (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle) — emphasis/indeed

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

• अस्ति: is/exists
• अस्ति: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/लट्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन — is

• तार्क्ष्य-केशव-सन्निधौ: in the vicinity of Tārkṣya and Keśava
• तार्क्ष्य-केशव-सन्निधौ: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तार्क्ष्य (प्रातिपदिक) + केशव (प्रातिपदिक) + सन्निधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — Locative singular; समासः (बहुपद) तत्पुरुषः — तार्क्ष्यस्य केशवस्य सन्निधौ

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

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive) — having bathed

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

• भक्त्या: with devotion
• भक्त्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन — Instrumental singular

• संसार-अहिम्: the serpent of saṃsāra
• संसार-अहिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संसार (प्रातिपदिक) + अहि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Accusative singular; समासः तत्पुरुषः — संसारस्य अहिः (metaphorical)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation particle)

• पश्यति: sees
• पश्यति: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/लट्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन — sees

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa context, typically Skanda instructing Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Tārkṣya-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim bathes at Tārkṣya-tīrtha beside a small waterbody/ghāṭa; nearby stands the shrine of Tārkṣya-Keśava. Above, Garuḍa imagery suggests protection; the ‘serpent of saṃsāra’ fades into the water’s ripples.

Characters & Entities

• Tārkṣya-tīrtha
• Tārkṣya-Keśava
• Saṃsāra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional tīrtha-bathing near a divine presence is framed as a means to overcome the fear and bondage of saṃsāra.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Tārkṣya-tīrtha, situated near the shrine/presence of Tārkṣya-Keśava in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna at Tārkṣya-tīrtha performed with bhakti.