Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

गंगाद्वारे कुरुक्षेत्रे गंगासागरसंगमे । यत्फलं लभते मर्त्यो धर्मतीर्थे तदाप्नुयात्

Transliteration

gaṃgādvāre kurukṣetre gaṃgāsāgarasaṃgame | yatphalaṃ labhate martyo dharmatīrthe tadāpnuyāt

Translation

گنگادوار، کوروکشیتر یا گنگا کے سمندر سے سنگم پر جو ثواب ایک فانی پاتا ہے، وہی ثواب وہ دھرم تیرتھ میں حاصل کر لیتا ہے۔

Word by Word

• गंगाद्वारे: at Gaṅgādvāra (Haridvāra)
• गंगाद्वारे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गंगा + द्वार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (neuter loc. sg.); समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (गंगायाः द्वारम्)

• कुरुक्षेत्रे: in Kurukṣetra
• कुरुक्षेत्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुरु + क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (neuter loc. sg.); समासः—तत्पुरुष (कुरूणां क्षेत्रम्)

• गंगासागरसंगमे: at the confluence of Gaṅgā and the ocean
• गंगासागरसंगमे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गंगा + सागर + संगम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (masc. loc. sg.); समासः—तत्पुरुष (गंगायाः सागरस्य च संगमः)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Visheshana (Correlative/यद्-तद्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• फलम्: fruit
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter acc. sg.)

• लभते: obtains
• लभते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (present, 3rd sg.)

• मर्त्यः: a mortal
• मर्त्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (masc. nom. sg.)

• धर्मतीर्थे: at Dharmatīrtha
• धर्मतीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (neuter loc. sg.); समासः—तत्पुरुष (धर्मस्य तीर्थम्)

• तत्: that (same fruit)
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter acc. sg.)

• आप्नुयात्: should obtain
• आप्नुयात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (optative, 3rd sg.)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharma-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Recipient of the tīrtha-glory teaching (unspecified)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cartographic-sacred montage: Haridwar’s Gaṅgādvāra with mountains, Kurukṣetra’s sacred plain, Gaṅgāsāgara’s ocean meeting, all shown as faint visions hovering above a single Kāśī ghat labeled Dharma-tīrtha where a pilgrim bathes; the visions stream into the water as light.

Characters & Entities

• Dharma-tīrtha
• Gaṅgādvāra
• Kurukṣetra
• Gaṅgā-sāgara-saṅgama
• Gaṅgā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is framed as a spiritual microcosm where the fruits of distant pilgrimages are accessible locally through Dharma-tīrtha.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharma-tīrtha (in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa setting).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pilgrimage merit is tied to tīrtha-contact and bathing (implied by the comparative list of famous bathing sites).