Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 64

Devanagari script

अपि सर्वनदीतोयैर्मृत्कूटैश्चापि गोमयैः । आपादमाचरच्छौचं भावदुष्टो न शुद्धिभाक्

Transliteration

api sarvanadītoyairmṛtkūṭaiścāpi gomayaiḥ | āpādamācaracchaucaṃ bhāvaduṣṭo na śuddhibhāk

Translation

सर्व नद्यांच्या जलाने, मातीच्या ढेकळांनी व गोमयाने पायापर्यंत शौच केले तरी ज्याचा अंतःभाव दूषित आहे तो खऱ्या शुद्धीचा अधिकारी होत नाही.

Word by Word

• api: even if
• api: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्भावना/समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (even/also)

• sarva-nadī-toyaiḥ: with waters of all rivers
• sarva-nadī-toyaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + nadī (प्रातिपदिक) + toya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (sarvānāṃ nadīnām toyaiḥ)

• mṛt-kūṭaiḥ: with lumps of earth
• mṛt-kūṭaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mṛd (प्रातिपदिक) + kūṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (mṛdaḥ kūṭaiḥ = lumps of earth)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (also)

• gomayaiḥ: with cow-dung
• gomayaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gomaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन

• ā-pādam: up to the feet
• ā-pādam: Desha/Avadhi (Extent/अवधि)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ā (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + pāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावः; अव्यय (up to the feet)

• ācarat: should practice/perform
• ācarat: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: car (धातु) + ā (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लोट् (injunctive/imperative sense), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; धातु: आचर् (ā+car)

• śaucam: purification/cleanliness
• śaucam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śauca (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• bhāva-duṣṭaḥ: one whose intention is impure
• bhāva-duṣṭaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhāva (प्रातिपदिक) + duṣṭa (दुष् धातु + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (bhāvena duṣṭaḥ = corrupted in disposition)

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation)

• śuddhi-bhāk: a recipient of purity (i.e., becomes pure)
• śuddhi-bhāk: Karta-predicative (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śuddhi (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāj (धातु) → bhāk (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः; 'bhāk' = partaker/possessor

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly as Skanda teaching Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā in Kāśī (contextual)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At the Ganga ghats, a person performs elaborate washing with river-water, earth, and cow-dung, while a sage points to the heart, indicating that inner impurity blocks true cleansing; the river glows but the figure’s shadow suggests moral stain.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

External rites are incomplete without inner integrity; purity is ultimately grounded in intention and character.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse speaks universally within the Kāśī Khaṇḍa’s dharma-teaching context, not of one named tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It references śauca practices using river-water, earth, and cow-dung, while stressing that inner corruption nullifies their spiritual effect.