Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 78

Devanagari script

तां गुहां प्रविशेद्यो वै न स गर्भे विशेत्क्वचित् । तत्र यज्ञोदकूपोस्ति वाजिमेधफलप्रदः

Transliteration

tāṃ guhāṃ praviśedyo vai na sa garbhe viśetkvacit | tatra yajñodakūposti vājimedhaphalapradaḥ

Translation

ผู้ใดแลเข้าสู่ถ้ำนั้น ผู้นั้นย่อมไม่กลับไปสู่ครรภ์ ณ ที่ใดอีกเลย ที่นั่นมีบ่อชื่อ “ยัชโญทา” ประทานผลแห่งพิธีอัศวเมธะยัญ

Word by Word

• ताम्: that (her/that)
• ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• गुहाम्: cave
• गुहाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुहा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• प्रविशेत्: should enter
• प्रविशेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + √विश् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

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

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha/Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic particle)

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• गर्भे: in the womb
• गर्भे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गर्भ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• विशेत्: should enter
• विशेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √विश् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• क्वचित्: ever/at any time
• क्वचित्: Adhikarana (Adverbial/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्वचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देश/कालवाचक (indefinite adverb: ever/anywhere)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locative setting/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

• यज्ञोदकूपः: a well of sacrificial water
• यज्ञोदकूपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञोद (यज्ञ + उदक) + कूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (षष्ठी/सम्बन्धार्थः)—‘यज्ञोदकस्य कूपः’

• अस्ति: is/exists
• अस्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• वाजिमेधफलप्रदः: bestowing the fruit of the Aśvamedha
• वाजिमेधफलप्रदः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वाजिमेध (वाजि + मेध) + फल + प्रद (प्रातिपदिक; √दा (धातु) ‘दाने’ उपसर्ग प्र-)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—‘वाजिमेधस्य फलप्रदः’ (giver of Aśvamedha-fruit)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kapileśvara-guhā; Yajñoda-kūpa

Type: cave

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Kāśīkhaṇḍa interlocutor(s)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims with lamps and folded hands enter a sacred cave near a Śiva shrine; beside it, a stone-lined well labeled Yajñoda, with priests drawing water for blessings.

Characters & Entities

• Kapileśvara (implied locale)
• guhā (cave)
• Yajñoda-kūpa
• Aśvamedha (Vājimedha)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Certain Kāśī-sthalas are proclaimed as direct gateways to release from rebirth, equated with the highest Vedic sacrifices.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The cave near Kapileśvara and the Yajñoda well located there.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Entering the cave is praised as spiritually transformative; the well is extolled for granting Aśvamedha-like merit (implying reverent visitation and water-ritual use).