Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 88

Devanagari script

प्रातःसंध्यां ततः कुर्याद्दंतधावनपूर्विकाम् । प्रातःस्नानं चरित्वा च शुद्धे तीर्थे विशेषतः

Transliteration

prātaḥsaṃdhyāṃ tataḥ kuryāddaṃtadhāvanapūrvikām | prātaḥsnānaṃ caritvā ca śuddhe tīrthe viśeṣataḥ

Translation

随后当行清晨的三时祈祷（Sandhyā），先洁齿而后修之；并当沐浴于晨，尤宜在清净的圣地渡口（tīrtha）。

Word by Word

• प्रातःसंध्याम्: the morning twilight-prayer (sandhyā)
• प्रातःसंध्याम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रातःसंध्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (प्रातः + संध्या)

• ततः: then/thereafter
• ततः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb) ‘thereafter/then’

• कुर्यात्: should do/perform
• कुर्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• दन्तधावनपूर्विकाम्: preceded by tooth-cleaning
• दन्तधावनपूर्विकाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दन्तधावनपूर्विका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (प्रातःसंध्याम्); समासः—तत्पुरुषः (दन्तधावन + पूर्विका)

• प्रातःस्नानम्: morning bath
• प्रातःस्नानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रातःस्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (प्रातः + स्नान)

• चरित्वा: having performed (done)
• चरित्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: चर् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) ‘having done/after doing’; अव्ययभाव

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• शुद्धे: in a pure (place)
• शुद्धे: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (तीर्थे)

• तीर्थे: at a sacred ford/place of pilgrimage
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• विशेषतः: especially
• विशेषतः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेषतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb) ‘especially’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-Gaṅgā-tīrtha (general instruction)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at a Kāśī ghāṭ at pre-dawn: tooth-cleaning with a twig, then standing facing the river performing sandhyā, with the Gaṅgā flowing beside lamps and temple silhouettes.

Characters & Entities

• Tīrtha
• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Daily worship is strengthened by purity and by connecting one’s routine to sacred geography through tīrtha-bathing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A “śuddha tīrtha” is praised in general; in Kāśīkhaṇḍa this naturally aligns with Kāśī’s revered bathing places.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform dantadhāvana first, then prātaḥ-sandhyā, and then prātaḥ-snānā—preferably at a pure tīrtha.