Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

नर्मदायां सरस्वत्यां गौतम्यां सिंहगे गुरौ । स्नात्वा यत्फलमाप्येत धर्मकूपे तदाप्नुयात्

Transliteration

narmadāyāṃ sarasvatyāṃ gautamyāṃ siṃhage gurau | snātvā yatphalamāpyeta dharmakūpe tadāpnuyāt

Translation

नर्मदा, सरस्वती, गौतमी, सिंहगे किंवा गुरु-तीर्थ येथे स्नानाने जे फळ मिळते, तेच फळ धर्मकूपात प्राप्त होते.

Word by Word

• नर्मदायाम्: in the Narmadā
• नर्मदायाम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (fem. loc. sg.)

• सरस्वत्याम्: in the Sarasvatī
• सरस्वत्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (fem. loc. sg.)

• गौतम्याम्: in the Gautamī (Godāvarī)
• गौतम्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गौतमी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (fem. loc. sg.)

• सिंहगे: at Siṃhage (a sacred place)
• सिंहगे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिंहग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (masc. loc. sg.); तीर्थ/स्थान-नाम

• गुरौ: at Guru (a sacred place)
• गुरौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (masc. loc. sg.)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्ना (धातु) → स्नात्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund: having bathed)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Visheshana (Correlative/यद्-तद्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• फलम्: fruit
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• आप्येत: may be obtained
• आप्येत: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (optative, 3rd sg.; “may be obtained”)

• धर्मकूपे: at Dharmakūpa
• धर्मकूपे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म + कूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (masc. loc. sg.); समासः—तत्पुरुष (धर्मस्य कूपः)

• तत्: that (same fruit)
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• आप्नुयात्: should obtain
• आप्नुयात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (optative, 3rd sg.)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharma-kūpa

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Audience of the tīrtha enumeration (unspecified)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A stone-lined sacred well in Kāśī with a small platform; devotees draw water with a brass pot and pour it over their heads; above the well appear faint personifications of Narmadā, Sarasvatī, and Gautamī as river goddesses blessing the scene; the well glows as if bottomless.

Characters & Entities

• Dharma-kūpa
• Narmadā
• Sarasvatī
• Gautamī (Godāvarī)
• Siṃhage (tīrtha)
• Guru (tīrtha)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma-kūpa in Kāśī is praised as a concentrated locus of tīrtha-power, equating many famed river baths.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharma-kūpa (the sacred well/tīrtha in Kāśī).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing) at Dharma-kūpa.