Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 81

Devanagari script

कामकुंडकृतस्नानैर्महापातकशांतये । इदं कामेश्वराख्यानं यः पठिष्यति पुण्यवान् । यः श्रोष्यति च मेधावी तौ निष्पापौ भविष्यतः

Transliteration

kāmakuṃḍakṛtasnānairmahāpātakaśāṃtaye | idaṃ kāmeśvarākhyānaṃ yaḥ paṭhiṣyati puṇyavān | yaḥ śroṣyati ca medhāvī tau niṣpāpau bhaviṣyataḥ

Translation

การอาบน้ำในกามกุณฑะย่อมระงับบาปหนักได้ ผู้ใดมีบุญสวดอ่านตำนานพระกามेशวรนี้ และผู้ใดมีปัญญารับฟัง—ทั้งสองย่อมเป็นผู้ปราศจากบาป

Word by Word

• कामकुण्डकृतस्नानैः: by baths performed at Kāma-kuṇḍa
• कामकुण्डकृतस्नानैः: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कामकुण्ड (प्रातिपदिक) + कृत (कृदन्त; √कृ) + स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (कामकुण्डे कृतं स्नानम्)

• महापातकशान्तये: for the pacification of great sins
• महापातकशान्तये: Sampradana (Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + पातक (प्रातिपदिक) + शान्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/सम्प्रदान), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (महापातकस्य शान्तिः)

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• कामेश्वराख्यानम्: the narrative of Kāmeśvara
• कामेश्वराख्यानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कामेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक) + आख्यान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (कामेश्वरस्य आख्यानम्)

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• पठिष्यति: will read/recite
• पठिष्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √पठ् (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (भविष्यत्काल), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• पुण्यवान्: meritorious
• पुण्यवान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्यवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• यः: who (and he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• श्रोष्यति: will hear
• श्रोष्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (भविष्यत्काल), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

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

• मेधावी: intelligent
• मेधावी: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मेधाविन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• तौ: those two
• तौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), द्विवचन

• निष्पापौ: sinless
• निष्पापौ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निःपाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; विशेषणम्

• भविष्यतः: will become
• भविष्यतः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (भविष्यत्काल), प्रथमपुरुष, द्विवचन; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāma-kuṇḍa

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Implied audience within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee bathes in a stepped sacred kuṇḍa while, nearby, a reciter reads the Kāmeśvara-ākhyāna to attentive listeners; the scene conveys two parallel streams of purification—water and word.

Characters & Entities

• Kāma-kuṇḍa
• Kāmeśvara
• Kāśī (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is completed not only by bathing but also by sacred listening and recitation, which purify and steady dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāma-kuṇḍa and the sacred narrative of Kāmeśvara in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna in Kāma-kuṇḍa, plus pāṭha (recitation) and śravaṇa (hearing) of the Kāmeśvara-ākhyāna.