Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 56

Devanagari script

विदारनारसिंहाख्यं तत्र तीर्थं सुनिर्मलम् । स्नातो विदारयेत्तत्र पापं जन्मशतार्जितम्

Transliteration

vidāranārasiṃhākhyaṃ tatra tīrthaṃ sunirmalam | snāto vidārayettatra pāpaṃ janmaśatārjitam

Translation

അവിടെ ‘വിദാരനരസിംഹ’ എന്ന പേരിലുള്ള അത്യന്തം നിർമ്മലമായ തീർത്ഥം ഉണ്ട്. അവിടെ സ്നാനം ചെയ്താൽ നൂറു ജന്മങ്ങളിൽ സമ്പാദിച്ച പാപം കീറിപ്പൊളിച്ച് നശിക്കും.

Word by Word

• विदारनारसिंहाख्यम्: called ‘Vidāra-Narasimha’
• विदारनारसिंहाख्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विदार-नरसिंह-आख्य (प्रातिपदिक; विदार + नरसिंह + आख्य)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative singular (qualifying तीर्थम्)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locative setting/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (स्थानवाचक) — adverb of place

• तीर्थम्: the sacred ford
• तीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative singular

• सुनिर्मलम्: very pure
• सुनिर्मलम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु-निर्मल (प्रातिपदिक; सु + निर्मल)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative singular (qualifying तीर्थम्)

• स्नातः: having bathed
• स्नातः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन — Past participle, Masculine, Nominative singular

• विदारयेत्: should tear apart/destroy
• विदारयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विदार् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — Optative, 3rd person singular

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locative setting/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (स्थानवाचक) — adverb of place

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative singular

• जन्मशतार्जितम्: acquired over a hundred births
• जन्मशतार्जितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जन्म-शत-अर्जित (प्रातिपदिक; जन्म + शत + अर्जित)
• Form: कृदन्त (अर्जित = क्त-प्रत्यय), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन — Past participial adjective, Neuter, Accusative singular (qualifying पापम्)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśī Khaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vidāra-Narasiṃha-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A clear, bright tīrtha with steps; above or near it, Narasiṃha is depicted in protective stance, claws symbolically ‘rending’ dark smoke-like sin from a kneeling devotee who has just bathed.

Characters & Entities

• Vidāra-Narasiṃha-tīrtha
• Narasiṃha
• snāna
• pāpa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine grace at a tīrtha is depicted as powerful enough to uproot deep karmic burdens from many lifetimes.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vidāra-Narasiṃha-tīrtha, described as sunirmala (exceedingly pure).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing) at the Vidāra-Narasiṃha-tīrtha.