Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

ततस्तत्कृपयानुन्नो धर्मपीठनिषेवणात् । निष्पाद्य तीर्थं तत्रेशोऽत्र स्नाहींद्रेति चाब्रवीत्

Transliteration

tatastatkṛpayānunno dharmapīṭhaniṣevaṇāt | niṣpādya tīrthaṃ tatreśo'tra snāhīṃdreti cābravīt

Translation

Bấy giờ, do lòng từ mẫn thúc giục và do sự phụng sự của Indra tại Dharmapīṭha, Đức Chúa lập một thánh địa tīrtha nơi ấy và phán: “Indra, hãy tắm tại đây.”

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Temporal adverbial/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, काल/अनन्तरार्थक (then/thereupon)

• tat-kṛpayā: by that compassion
• tat-kṛpayā: Karaṇa/Hetu (Instrument/Cause/करण-हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad + kṛpā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (‘his/that’ + ‘compassion’); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/instrumental), एकवचन

• anunnaḥ: impelled
• anunnaḥ: Karta-viśeṣaṇa (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anu-nud (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP) ‘anunna’; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘impelled/urged’

• dharma-pīṭha-niṣevaṇāt: from serving the seat of Dharma
• dharma-pīṭha-niṣevaṇāt: Apādāna/Hetu (Source/Cause/अपादान-हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma + pīṭha + niṣevaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुपद-तत्पुरुष; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/ablative), एकवचन

• niṣpādya: having established
• niṣpādya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial to main verb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: nis-pad (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया: ‘having produced/established’

• tīrtham: a sacred ford/pilgrimage place
• tīrtham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), एकवचन

• tatra: there
• tatra: Deśa-adhikaraṇa (Locative adverbial/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (locative adverb: there)

• īśaḥ: the Lord
• īśaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• atra: here
• atra: Deśa-adhikaraṇa (Locative adverbial/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (here)

• snāhi: bathe
• snāhi: Kriyā (Command/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: snā (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• indra: O Indra
• indra: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: indra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/vocative), एकवचन

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरणसूचक अव्यय

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• abravīt: said
• abravīt: Kriyā (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: brū (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda (narration) with quoted speech of Śiva

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharma-tīrtha (instituted here)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The Lord, moved by compassion, gestures to the spot of water and declares it a tīrtha; Indra stands ready to enter the water; Dharmapīṭha is suggested by a symbolic dharma-seat/altar nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Īśa)
• Dharmapīṭha
• Tīrtha
• Indra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Compassionate divinity turns a devotee’s sincere service into sacred geography—creating a tīrtha for the welfare of all.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A newly established tīrtha at Dharmapīṭha in Kāśī (often understood as Dharma-tīrtha/Dharmatīrtha in this passage).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śiva’s direct injunction: perform snāna (ritual bathing) at this tīrtha.