Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 68

Devanagari script

कंठगाभिर्नृपः शुद्ध्येत्तालुगाभिस्तथोरुजः । स्त्रीशूद्रावास्य संस्पर्शमात्रेणापि विशुद्ध्यतः

Transliteration

kaṃṭhagābhirnṛpaḥ śuddhyettālugābhistathorujaḥ | strīśūdrāvāsya saṃsparśamātreṇāpi viśuddhyataḥ

Translation

国王以水至喉而得清净；患于大腿/腹股沟者，以水至上腭而得清净。女子与首陀罗，甚至仅以口部轻触（即最简之阿遮摩那）亦得清净。

Word by Word

• कण्ठगाभिः: with water reaching the throat
• कण्ठगाभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कण्ठ-ग (प्रातिपदिक; कण्ठ + ग)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), बहुवचन; ‘कण्ठं गच्छन्ति’ इति कण्ठगाः (कण्ठ-पर्यन्तं गता आपः)

• नृपः: a king
• नृपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• शुध्येत्: should become purified
• शुध्येत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: शुध् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• तालुगाभिः: with water reaching the palate
• तालुगाभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तालु-ग (प्रातिपदिक; तालु + ग)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), बहुवचन; ‘तालुं गच्छन्ति’ इति तालुगाः (तालु-पर्यन्तं गता आपः)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (adverb: ‘likewise/so’)

• ऊरुजः: one with thigh-related (impurity/affliction)
• ऊरुजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऊरुज (प्रातिपदिक; ऊरु + ज)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘ऊरौ जायते’ इति ऊरुजः (ऊरु-सम्बन्धी/ऊरुजः)

• स्त्रीशूद्रावास्य: of a woman or a śūdra (mouth)
• स्त्रीशूद्रावास्य: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्त्री-शूद्र-अवास्य (प्रातिपदिक; स्त्री + शूद्र + अवास्य)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष; ‘स्त्रीशूद्रयोः अवास्यं’ (स्त्री-शूद्र-सम्बन्धि मुखम्)

• संस्पर्शमात्रेण: by mere contact
• संस्पर्शमात्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संस्पर्श-मात्र (प्रातिपदिक; संस्पर्श + मात्र)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन; ‘मात्र’ = केवल

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण/समुच्चयार्थ (even/also)

• विशुद्ध्यतः: for purification
• विशुद्ध्यतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विशुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे (because of/for the sake of purification)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly as Skanda teaching Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā in Kāśī (ghāṭa context)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim-teacher on a Gaṅgā ghāṭa instructs different devotees—king, infirm person, woman, and śūdra—on graded ācamana, with water vessels and the river in the background.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purificatory rites are graded by capacity and circumstance, aiming at accessibility while preserving ritual order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the verse gives general ācamana standards within the Kāśī Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Different degrees of ācamana: throat-level for a king, palate-level for certain ailments, and minimal mouth-touch for women and śūdras.