Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 60

Devanagari script

यागाः सर्वे मया पूर्वं तुलया विधृता द्विज । तच्च तीर्थवरं रम्यं कामिकं कामपूरणात

Transliteration

yāgāḥ sarve mayā pūrvaṃ tulayā vidhṛtā dvija | tacca tīrthavaraṃ ramyaṃ kāmikaṃ kāmapūraṇāta

Translation

噢婆罗门啊，我曾将一切祭祀（yajña）置于天平衡量；而那可爱、最胜的圣渡（tīrtha）被称为“迦弥迦”（Kāmika），因为它能圆满诸愿。

Word by Word

• यागाः: sacrifices
• यागाः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: याग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Karma (Qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (यागाः)

• मया: by me
• मया: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; करण/कर्तृ-निर्देश

• पूर्वम्: formerly, earlier
• पूर्वम्: Kala-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्वम् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक-नपुंसक)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• तुलया: with a balance/scale
• तुलया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तुला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; करणम्

• विधृताः: weighed, measured
• विधृताः: Karma-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate participle/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि-धृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; कर्मणि (weighed/held)

• द्विज: O brāhmaṇa
• द्विज: Sambodhana (Vocative/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; संकेत/अन्वय

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

• तीर्थवरम्: best of holy places
• तीर्थवरम्: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ-वर (प्रातिपदिक; तीर्थ + वर)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (तीर्थेषु वरम्)

• रम्यम्: delightful
• रम्यम्: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रम्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• कामिकम्: wish-fulfilling, desired
• कामिकम्: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कामिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• कामपूरणात्: because of fulfilling desires
• कामपूरणात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम-पूरण (प्रातिपदिक; काम + पूरण)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे अपादानम् (because of)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāmika tīrtha (within Prayāga-maṇḍala, per context)

Type: tirtha

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A brāhmaṇa (dvija)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A divine figure holds a balance scale: on one pan are symbolic yajña implements (sruva, kuśa, soma vessel), on the other a radiant tīrtha-water pot; the tīrtha side outweighs the sacrifices.

Characters & Entities

• Tīrtha (Kāmika)
• Brāhmaṇa (Dvija)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage to the supreme tīrtha is portrayed as outweighing ritual sacrifices, emphasizing grace, sacred place, and accessible dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ‘best of tīrthas’—contextually Prayāga—is praised and characterized as Kāmika, the desire-fulfilling tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A comparative teaching is given: even yajñas are ‘weighed’ against the tīrtha’s merit; it implicitly recommends tīrtha-yātrā and tīrtha-sevā.