Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 62

Devanagari script

तूलशैलः स्फुलिंगेन यथा नश्यति तत्क्षणात् । तथा दोषाः प्रणश्यंति गंगांभः स्पर्शनाद्ध्रुवम्

Transliteration

tūlaśailaḥ sphuliṃgena yathā naśyati tatkṣaṇāt | tathā doṣāḥ praṇaśyaṃti gaṃgāṃbhaḥ sparśanāddhruvam

Translation

यथा तूलशैलः स्फुलिङ्गमात्रेण तत्क्षणादेव नश्यति, तथा गङ्गाम्भःस्पर्शनाद् ध्रुवं दोषाः कल्मषाश्च प्रणश्यन्ति।

Word by Word

• तूलशैलः: a mountain of cotton
• तूलशैलः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तूल (प्रातिपदिक) + शैल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (तूलस्य शैलः)

• स्फुलिङ्गेन: by a spark
• स्फुलिङ्गेन: Karana (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्फुलिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• यथा: just as
• यथा: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Comparative marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमान/तुलना-वाचक (comparative particle: “as/just as”)

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

• तत्क्षणात्: instantly
• तत्क्षणात्: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; पञ्चमी-अर्थे अव्यय (ablatival sense: “from that moment/instantly”)

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

• दोषाः: faults/sins
• दोषाः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दोष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• प्रणश्यन्ति: are completely destroyed
• प्रणश्यन्ति: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + नश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• गङ्गाम्भः: the water of the Ganga
• गङ्गाम्भः: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक) + अम्भस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गङ्गायाः अम्भः)

• स्पर्शनात्: from (its) touch; by touching
• स्पर्शनात्: Apadana (अपादान/Cause-source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्पर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• ध्रुवम्: certainly
• ध्रुवम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ध्रुव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक (certainty adverb: “surely/indeed”)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (Kāśī)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage-inquirer audience (typically sages)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at a Kāśī ghat touches Gaṅgā water; beside him a symbolic ‘cotton mountain’ ignites from a tiny spark, illustrating instant destruction of impurities.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even minimal contact with Gaṅgā-jala is praised as powerfully transformative, destroying inner and outer impurities.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgā at Kāśī—specifically her waters (gaṅgāmbhas) as a purifying tirtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Sparśa (touching) of Gaṅgā water—commonly via snāna, ācamana, or sprinkling—is indicated as efficacious.