Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 60

Devanagari script

गोमूत्रं गोमयं क्षीरं दधिसर्पिः कुशोदकम् । एकरात्रोपवासश्च कृच्छ्रः सांतपनः स्मृतः

Transliteration

gomūtraṃ gomayaṃ kṣīraṃ dadhisarpiḥ kuśodakam | ekarātropavāsaśca kṛcchraḥ sāṃtapanaḥ smṛtaḥ

Translation

ปัสสาวะโค มูลโค น้ำนม นมเปรี้ยว เนยใส และน้ำที่แช่หญ้ากุศะ พร้อมทั้งอุปวาสหนึ่งราตรี—ตบะชำระบาปนี้เรียกว่า ‘สางตปนะ กฤจฉระ’ (การเผาให้ร้อน)

Word by Word

• गोमूत्रम्: cow urine
• गोमूत्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म; द्रव्यसूची)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो + मूत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (गोस्य मूत्रम्)

• गोमयम्: cow dung
• गोमयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म; द्रव्यसूची)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो + मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (गोस्य मयम्)

• क्षीरम्: milk
• क्षीरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म; द्रव्यसूची)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• दधि: curd
• दधि: Karma (Object/कर्म; द्रव्यसूची)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• सर्पिः: ghee
• सर्पिः: Karma (Object/कर्म; द्रव्यसूची)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्पिस्/सर्पिः (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• कुशोदकम्: water with kuśa grass
• कुशोदकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म; द्रव्यसूची)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुश + उदक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (कुशानाम् उदकम्/कुशैः संस्कृतम् उदकम्)

• एकरात्रोपवासः: a one-night fast
• एकरात्रोपवासः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता; समासवाच्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एक + रात्र + उपवास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (एकरात्रस्य उपवासः)

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

• कृच्छ्रः: the Kṛcchra (penance)
• कृच्छ्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृच्छ्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; व्रतनाम

• सांतपनः: (called) Sāṃtapana
• सांतपनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता; विशेषण/नाम)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सांतपन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; व्रतनाम

• स्मृतः: is declared/considered
• स्मृतः: Kriya (Predicative/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘is said/considered’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa discourse, typically Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ritual setting with kuśa grass, a small vessel of kuśodaka, and measured portions of cow-derived purifiers; the practitioner observes a night fast near a ghat-side shrine.

Characters & Entities

• Sāṃtapana
• Kuśa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual purity is reinforced through restrained living and symbolic purification, aligning the practitioner back to dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction occurs within Kāśī’s sacred teaching context (Kāśīkhaṇḍa), where expiations are presented as aids to liberation-oriented life.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Sāṃtapana kṛcchra: intake of specified purifying substances (gomūtra, gomaya, milk, curd, ghee, kuśa-water) plus a one-night fast.