Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

गोपीगोविंदतीर्थं च ततो वैष्णवलोकदम् । यस्मिन्स्नातो नरो विद्वान्न विंद्याद्गर्भवेदनम्

Transliteration

gopīgoviṃdatīrthaṃ ca tato vaiṣṇavalokadam | yasminsnāto naro vidvānna viṃdyādgarbhavedanam

Translation

ਅਗਲਾ ਗੋਪੀ-ਗੋਵਿੰਦ ਤੀਰਥ ਹੈ, ਜੋ ਵਿਸ਼ਣੁ-ਲੋਕ ਪ੍ਰਦਾਨ ਕਰਦਾ ਹੈ। ਜਿਸ ਵਿੱਚ ਸਨਾਨ ਕਰਨ ਵਾਲਾ ਵਿਦਵਾਨ ਮਨੁੱਖ ਗਰਭ-ਵੇਦਨਾ ਦਾ ਦੁੱਖ ਨਹੀਂ ਪਾਂਦਾ।

Word by Word

• गोपीगोविन्दतीर्थम्: the Gopī-Govinda sacred ford (tīrtha)
• गोपीगोविन्दतीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोपी (प्रातिपदिक) + गोविन्द (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गोपीगोविन्दयोः तीर्थम्)

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

• ततः: thereafter; from there
• ततः: Apadana/Desha-Kala (Source/Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपादान/क्रमबोधक (from there/thereafter)

• वैष्णवलोकदम्: granting the Vaiṣṇava world
• वैष्णवलोकदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वैष्णव (प्रातिपदिक) + लोक (प्रातिपदिक) + द (√दा धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कृदन्तः—उपपद-समासान्त ‘-दम्’ (ददाति इति), ‘वैष्णवलोकं ददाति’ इति अर्थः

• यस्मिन्: in which
• यस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-यत्-प्रत्यय

• स्नातः: having bathed
• स्नातः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (√स्ना धातु)
• Form: कृदन्तः—क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि/भूतकाले (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘स्नातः’ = having bathed

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

• विद्वान्: a learned person
• विद्वान्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विद्वस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेष्य-विशेषणभावे ‘नरः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation particle)

• विन्द्यात्: would experience/obtain
• विन्द्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (√विद् धातु, लभ्/प्राप्-अर्थे)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; ‘विन्द्यात्’ = would obtain/experience

• गर्भवेदनम्: pain of (re)entering the womb; womb-suffering
• गर्भवेदनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गर्भ (प्रातिपदिक) + वेदन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गर्भस्य वेदनम्)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gopī-Govinda-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage-inquirer (ṛṣis/seekers; contextually the audience of Kāśī-māhātmya)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim descends stone steps to a small sacred bathing spot in Kāśī; a shrine or emblem of Govinda with gopīs in devotional posture; the riverbank glows with lamps; the pilgrim emerges from water serene, symbolically freed from the cycle of birth.

Characters & Entities

• Gopī-Govinda-tīrtha
• Gopī
• Govinda
• Vaiṣṇava-loka
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion expressed through tīrtha-bathing is said to elevate the soul toward Viṣṇu’s realm and reduce rebirth-related suffering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gopī-Govinda-tīrtha in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing) at Gopī-Govinda-tīrtha.