Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 64

Devanagari script

दंभ कौटिल्य मायाभिर्यथाधर्मो विनश्यति । तथा नश्यंति पापानि गंगाया दर्शनेन तु

Transliteration

daṃbha kauṭilya māyābhiryathādharmo vinaśyati | tathā naśyaṃti pāpāni gaṃgāyā darśanena tu

Translation

Sebagaimana dharma musnah oleh kemunafikan, kelicikan dan tipu daya; demikianlah dosa-dosa benar-benar binasa dengan sekadar memandang Gangga.

Word by Word

• दंभ: hypocrisy
• दंभ: Hetu (हेतु/Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दंभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (समाहार-निर्देशः; सूचीकरणे)

• कौटिल्य: crookedness
• कौटिल्य: Hetu (हेतु/Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौटिल्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (सूचीकरणे)

• मायाभिः: by illusions/deceits
• मायाभिः: Karana (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• यथा: as
• यथा: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Comparative marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तुलनार्थक

• अधर्मः: unrighteousness
• अधर्मः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अधर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• विनश्यति: is destroyed
• विनश्यति: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + नश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तथा: so
• तथा: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Correlative marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तुलनार्थक-सम्बन्ध (correlative “so”)

• नश्यन्ति: perish
• नश्यन्ति: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• पापानि: sins
• पापानि: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• गङ्गायाः: of the Ganga
• गङ्गायाः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• दर्शनेन: by seeing
• दर्शनेन: Karana (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेषण-निपात (particle “but/indeed”)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (Kāśī)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sages/pilgrims

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim’s first sight of Gaṅgā at dawn from a Kāśī ghat; shadowy figures of hypocrisy/crookedness/deceit crumble like masks falling away as the river’s light fills the scene.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It pairs a moral warning (vices destroy dharma) with a tirtha assurance: Gaṅgā’s darśana powerfully dissolves sin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgā—especially as experienced in Kāśī—whose mere darśana is proclaimed purifying.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Darśana (going to see Gaṅgā reverently) is the implied practice.