Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 60

Devanagari script

शंखमाधवतीर्थं च तदवाच्यां सुनिर्मलम् । कृतोदको नरस्तत्र भवेत्पापोपि निर्मलः

Transliteration

śaṃkhamādhavatīrthaṃ ca tadavācyāṃ sunirmalam | kṛtodako narastatra bhavetpāpopi nirmalaḥ

Translation

അവിടെ ശംഖമാധവ തീർത്ഥവും ഉണ്ട്; അതി നിർമ്മലമെന്ന് പ്രസിദ്ധം. അവിടെ ഉദകകർമ്മം/സ്നാനം ചെയ്യുന്ന മനുഷ്യൻ പാപഭാരമുള്ളവനായാലും നിർമ്മലനാകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• शंखमाधवतीर्थम्: Śaṅkha-Mādhava-tīrtha
• शंखमाधवतीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शंखमाधव + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; proper name

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• तदवाच्याम्: that which is called ‘Avācyā’ / the so-named (place)
• तदवाच्याम्: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + अवाच्य (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त-योग्यतार्थ)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2), एकवचन; accusative singular; used elliptically with ‘(दिशम्/भूमिम्)’ or as qualifier in context

• सुनिर्मलम्: very pure
• सुनिर्मलम्: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + निर्मल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; adjective to ‘तीर्थम्’

• कृतोदकः: one who has taken the ritual water/ablution
• कृतोदकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत (कृ धातु, भूतकृदन्त/PPP) + उदक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1), एकवचन; ‘one who has performed udaka (ablution)’

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

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: there)

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; ‘would become’

• पापः: sinful
• पापः: Visheshya (Qualified entity/विशेष्य)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1), एकवचन; with अपि; predicate adjective to ‘नरः’

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

• निर्मलः: pure
• निर्मलः: Karya-phala (Result state/फल)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्मल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1), एकवचन; predicate adjective

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śaṅkha-Mādhava Tīrtha

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A clear, luminous water-spot with a conch symbol carved on a stone; a devotee pours water over head (kṛtodaka), while a small Śaṅkha-Mādhava icon is worshiped with tulasī; the water is depicted as crystal-bright, washing away dark ‘sin’ motifs dissolving into light.

Characters & Entities

• Śaṅkha-Mādhava Tīrtha
• Mādhava
• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Contact with a celebrated tīrtha, through water-rites and bathing, is portrayed as a powerful means of inner and karmic purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śaṅkha-Mādhava Tīrtha in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Kṛtodaka—performing the water act (snāna/udaka-kriyā) at the tīrtha.