Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

मध्ये मार्गं प्रपन्नस्य त्रिजन्मजनितं त्वघम् । देहगेहाद्विनिःसृत्य निराशं याति निःश्वसत्

Transliteration

madhye mārgaṃ prapannasya trijanmajanitaṃ tvagham | dehagehādviniḥsṛtya nirāśaṃ yāti niḥśvasat

Translation

ਜੋ ਯਾਤਰਾ ਦੇ ਮਾਰਗ ਵਿਚ ਪੈ ਗਿਆ, ਉਸ ਦਾ ਤਿੰਨ ਜਨਮਾਂ ਤੋਂ ਉਪਜਿਆ ਪਾਪ ਦੇਹ-ਘਰ ਤੋਂ ਨਿਕਲ ਕੇ ਨਿਰਾਸ ਹੋਇਆ, ਹਾਰ ਮੰਨ ਕੇ ਜਿਵੇਂ ਹਾਏ ਭਰਦਾ ਹੋਇਆ ਦੂਰ ਚਲਾ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ।

Word by Word

• मध्ये: in the middle
• मध्ये: अधिकरण (Locus)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• मार्गम्: the path/road
• मार्गम्: कर्म (Object/Path as goal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• प्रपन्नस्य: of one who has set out
• प्रपन्नस्य: सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्र-√पद् (धातु) → प्रपन्न (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन, पुल्लिङ्ग; ‘(यात्रां) प्रपन्न’ = ‘one who has set out’

• त्रिजन्मजनितम्: produced from three births
• त्रिजन्मजनितम्: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि + जन्म + जनित (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (त्रिजन्मनः जनितम्), भूतकृदन्त (क्त), द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन, नपुंसकलिङ्ग; ‘अघम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: सम्बन्ध/निपात (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle), विरोध/विशेष (but/indeed)

• अघम्: sin/evil
• अघम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अघ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• देहगेहात्: from body and house
• देहगेहात्: अपादान (Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देह + गेह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (देहश्च गेहश्च), पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन (समाहार/एकवचन-प्रयोग)

• विनिःसृत्य: having gone out
• विनिःसृत्य: पूर्वकाल-क्रिया (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वि-निः-√सृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive)

• निराशम्: hopeless/without support
• निराशम्: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निराश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘(अघम्)’ इत्यस्य विशेषणवत् (or adverbial sense)

• याति: goes
• याति: क्रिया (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• निःश्वसत्: sighing
• निःश्वसत्: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial participle)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निः-√श्वस् (धातु) → निःश्वसत् (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ), प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन, नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुल्लिङ्ग; क्रियाविशेषणभावे ‘sighing’

Speaker

Śiva

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra (via yātrā-mārga)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mid-journey on a mountain path: the pilgrim walks steadily; a dark, weary ‘sin’ figure exits the body-house (deha-geha) and drifts away ‘sighing,’ while the pilgrim’s aura brightens.

Characters & Entities

• Kedāra (implied by context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Right action sustained over time—walking the sacred path—weakens and expels accumulated negativity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kedāra is the implied destination whose yātrā-process itself is sanctifying.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Undertaking the journey (mārga-prapatti) itself is treated as a purifying observance.