Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

कश्यपाख्यो द्विजः पूर्वमस्मिंस्तीर्थद्वये शुभे । स्नात्वातिमहतः पापाद्विमुक्तो नरकप्रदात्

Transliteration

kaśyapākhyo dvijaḥ pūrvamasmiṃstīrthadvaye śubhe | snātvātimahataḥ pāpādvimukto narakapradāt

Translation

กาลก่อน มีพราหมณ์นามว่า กาศยปะ ได้อาบน้ำชำระในตีรถะมงคลทั้งสองนี้ แล้วพ้นจากบาปหนักยิ่ง ซึ่งเป็นเหตุให้ตกนรก

Word by Word

• कश्यपाख्यः: named Kaśyapa
• कश्यपाख्यः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कश्यप-आख्य (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (कश्यप-आख्यः = कश्यप इति आख्या यस्य) विशेषणम् (द्विजः)

• द्विजः: a brāhmaṇa (twice-born)
• द्विजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• पूर्वम्: formerly
• पूर्वम्: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्वम् (अव्यय/नपुंसकलिङ्ग-प्रयोग)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (formerly/before)

• अस्मिन्: in this
• अस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• तीर्थद्वये: in the pair of sacred fords
• तीर्थद्वये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ-द्वय (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (द्वे तीर्थे)

• शुभे: auspicious
• शुभे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (तीर्थद्वये)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्यय; ‘स्नानं कृत्वा’

• अतिमहतः: from a very great
• अतिमहतः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अति-महत् (प्रातिपदिक; उपपद-समास/उपसर्ग)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक-प्रयोग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (पापात्)

• पापात्: sin
• पापात्: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन

• विमुक्तः: freed, released
• विमुक्तः: Karta (Subject attribute/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि-मुच् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (द्विजः)

• नरकप्रदात्: from (that which) gives hell (i.e., hell-causing [sin])
• नरकप्रदात्: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक-प्रद (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (नरकस्य प्रदः = नरकं प्रददाति इति)

Speaker

Sūta (narrator)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gāyatrī-tīrtha; Sarasvatī-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣayaḥ / dvijasattamāḥ

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A brāhmaṇa named Kāśyapa performing ritual bath at two adjacent sacred waters; one stream evokes Sarasvatī’s flow, the other a luminous ‘mantra-tīrtha’ aura for Gāyatrī; dark shadow of ‘naraka’ dissolving behind him.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśyapa
• Tīrtha (two sacred sites)
• Naraka (hell)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage and sacred bathing, when undertaken with faith, are presented as powerful means for purification from even severe wrongdoing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A pair of tīrthas within the Setukhaṇḍa landscape is praised; the verse refers to them collectively as “tīrthadvaya” (two tīrthas).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) at the two tīrthas is identified as the purificatory act.