Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

ततस्तीर्थं महालक्ष्म्या महापुण्यफलप्रदम् । तत्राभ्यर्च्य महालक्ष्मीं निर्वाणकमलां लभेत्

Transliteration

tatastīrthaṃ mahālakṣmyā mahāpuṇyaphalapradam | tatrābhyarcya mahālakṣmīṃ nirvāṇakamalāṃ labhet

Translation

แล้วจึงถึงตีรถะแห่งมหาลักษมี ผู้ประทานผลแห่งบุญใหญ่ เมื่อบูชามหาลักษมี ณ ที่นั้น ย่อมได้ดอกบัวแห่งนิรวาณ คือความหลุดพ้น

Word by Word

• ततः: then; thereafter
• ततः: Sambandha (Sequence/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रम/अपादानार्थक-अव्यय (then; from there)

• तीर्थम्: a sacred ford; tīrtha
• तीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• महालक्ष्म्याः: of Mahālakṣmī
• महालक्ष्म्याः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महालक्ष्मी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• महापुण्यफलप्रदम्: bestowing the fruit of great merit
• महापुण्यफलप्रदम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा + पुण्य + फल + प्रद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया/प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुष (महद् पुण्यं; तस्य फलम्; तत् प्रददाति); विशेषणम् (तीर्थम्)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय

• अभ्यर्च्य: having worshipped
• अभ्यर्च्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि + अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/absolutive); धातुः अर्च् (to worship) उपसर्गः अभि; ‘having worshipped’

• महालक्ष्मीम्: Mahālakṣmī
• महालक्ष्मीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महालक्ष्मी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• निर्वाणकमलाम्: the ‘Nirvāṇa-Kamalā’ (liberation-lotus; epithet/boon)
• निर्वाणकमलाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निर्वाण + कमला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः कर्मधारय (निर्वाणरूपा कमला)

• लभेत्: would obtain
• लभेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), आत्मनेपद; प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; धातुः लभ् (to obtain)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahālakṣmī-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene tīrtha with a small shrine of Mahālakṣmī; devotees offer lotuses and lamps; above, a symbolic lotus of liberation opens, suggesting nirvāṇa-kamalā.

Characters & Entities

• Mahālakṣmī
• Mahālakṣmī-tīrtha
• Kāśī (Varanasi)
• Nirvāṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Merit (puṇya) and prosperity are ultimately oriented toward liberation; devotion to the Goddess at a holy site is said to culminate in mokṣa.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mahālakṣmī-tīrtha in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Abhyarcana—formal worship/adoration of Mahālakṣmī at the tīrtha.