Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 79

Devanagari script

किं बहूक्तेन विप्रेंद्र महोदयमभीप्सुना । सेव्यं सितासितं तीर्थं प्रकृष्टं जगतीतले

Transliteration

kiṃ bahūktena vipreṃdra mahodayamabhīpsunā | sevyaṃ sitāsitaṃ tīrthaṃ prakṛṣṭaṃ jagatītale

Translation

จะกล่าวมากไปไยเล่า โอ้เจ้าแห่งวิปรา? ผู้ใดใฝ่หามหาอุทัยและความรุ่งเรือง พึงไปสักการะ «สิตาสิตะตีรถะ» อันประเสริฐยิ่งบนพื้นพิภพ

Word by Word

• किम्: what (need)
• किम्: Discourse/Interrogative (प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: सर्वनाम; नपुंसकलिङ्गम्, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; अव्ययीभावेन प्रश्नार्थे (idiomatic: ‘what [need]?’)

• बहूक्तेन: with much speaking; by many words
• बहूक्तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक) + उक्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः—तत्पुरुषः/कर्मधारय-प्रायः (‘बहु’ + ‘उक्त’ = ‘much-said’); नपुंसकलिङ्गम्, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचनम्

• विप्र-इन्द्र: O lord of Brahmins
• विप्र-इन्द्र: Address (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक) + इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः—तत्पुरुषः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: विप्राणाम् इन्द्रः); पुल्लिङ्गम्, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचनम्

• महोदयम्: great prosperity/benefit
• महोदयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महोदय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्गम्, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचनम्

• अभीप्सुना: by one desiring to obtain
• अभीप्सुना: Karana/Agent-instrumental (तृतीया—कर्तृसाधनभाव)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आप्/ईप्स् (धातु) + अभीप्सु (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: इच्छार्थक-प्रातिपदिक ‘अभीप्सु’ (desiderative adjective: wishing to obtain); पुल्लिङ्गम्, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचनम्; कर्तृविशेषणम्

• सेव्यम्: to be visited/served
• सेव्यम्: Predicate (विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सेव् (धातु) + सेव्य (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्ययः; नपुंसकलिङ्गम्, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; विधेयम्

• सित-असितम्: white-and-black (Sitā & Asitā)
• सित-असितम्: Qualifier (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सित (प्रातिपदिक) + असित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः—द्वन्द्वः (इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः: white and black); नपुंसकलिङ्गम्, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; ‘तीर्थम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• तीर्थम्: sacred ford/pilgrimage place
• तीर्थम्: Karma/Predicate nominal (कर्म/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गम्, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्

• प्रकृष्टम्: excellent
• प्रकृष्टम्: Qualifier (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रकृष्ट (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्त (कृ + क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्गम्, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; ‘तीर्थम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• जगती-तले: on the surface of the earth
• जगती-तले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगती (प्रातिपदिक) + तल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः—तत्पुरुषः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: जगत्याः तलम्); नपुंसकलिङ्गम्, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचनम्

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sitāsita Tīrtha

Type: tirtha

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: viprendra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A revered tīrtha with contrasting ‘white and dark’ waters/grounds suggested by the name; pilgrims arrive seeking auspicious prosperity; priests bless them with sacred water and flowers.

Characters & Entities

• Sitāsita Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage to a renowned tīrtha is praised as a dharmic means to auspicious upliftment and well-being.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Sitāsita Tīrtha, explicitly called preeminent on earth.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A general injunction to ‘resort to/serve’ (sevyaṃ) Sitāsita Tīrtha; no specific rite is described in this verse.