Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

धर्मकूपे नरः स्नात्वा परितर्प्य पितामहान् । गयां गत्वा किमधिकं कर्ता पितृमुदावहम्

Transliteration

dharmakūpe naraḥ snātvā paritarpya pitāmahān | gayāṃ gatvā kimadhikaṃ kartā pitṛmudāvaham

Translation

دھرم-کوپ میں اشنان کر کے اور آباء کو شریعت کے مطابق ترپت کر کے، پھر گیا جا کر آدمی پِتر ہِت میں کون سا زیادہ فائدہ حاصل کرے گا؟

Word by Word

• धर्मकूपे: at Dharmakūpa
• धर्मकूपे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma + kūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: snā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (prior action)

• परितर्प्य: having satisfied (offered libations to)
• परितर्प्य: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari-tṛp (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (prior action)

• पितामहान्: the grandfathers/ancestors
• पितामहान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitāmaha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• गयां: Gayā
• गयां: Karma (Goal as object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gayā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (prior action)

• किम्: what
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• अधिकं: more/additional
• अधिकं: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: adhika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• कर्ता: (would) do/performer
• कर्ता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kartṛ (प्रातिपदिक; agent noun from √kṛ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• पितृम्: for the ancestor/father (pitṛ)
• पितृम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• उदावहम्: should carry/bring forth (benefit)
• उदावहम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ud-ā-vah (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्/लोट्-अर्थे (Optative/imperative sense), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद (Parasmaipada)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharma-kūpa (Kāśī)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim bathes at a sanctified well (Dharma-kūpa) and offers tarpaṇa; a distant, faint silhouette of Gayā’s landscape appears as a ‘no need to go farther’ contrast; forefathers appear satisfied above.

Characters & Entities

• Dharma-kūpa
• Gayā
• Pitāmahāḥ (ancestors)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s Dharma-kūpa is exalted as so efficacious for ancestor rites that it rivals the celebrated Gayā tradition.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharma-kūpa (Kāśī), explicitly compared with Gayā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna at Dharma-kūpa followed by paritarpaṇa (satiating ancestors through offerings).