Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

पंचतीर्थ्यां नरः स्नात्वा न देहं पांचभौतिकम् । गृह्णाति जातुचित्काश्यां पंचास्योवाथ जायते

Transliteration

paṃcatīrthyāṃ naraḥ snātvā na dehaṃ pāṃcabhautikam | gṛhṇāti jātucitkāśyāṃ paṃcāsyovātha jāyate

Translation

人在五圣渡（Pañcatīrthī）沐浴者，于迦尸（Kāśī）不复再受五大所成之身；反而成“具五面”者，得神圣之形。

Word by Word

• पंचतीर्थ्याम्: in Pañcatīrthī (the five-tīrtha area)
• पंचतीर्थ्याम्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पंचतीर्थी (प्रातिपदिक; पंच + तीर्थी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; ‘पंचतीर्थी’ इति स्थानवाचक-समासः

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया/Adverbial action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वक्रिया

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• देहम्: a body
• देहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पांचभौतिकम्: made of the five elements
• पांचभौतिकम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पांचभौतिक (प्रातिपदिक; पञ्च + भौतिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘पञ्चभूतसम्बन्धि’ इत्यर्थे तत्पुरुष-समासः; देहम् इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्

• गृह्णाति: takes/assumes
• गृह्णाति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ग्रह् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• जातुचित्: ever, at any time
• जातुचित्: Avyaya (Adverbial/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: जातु + चित् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय-समुच्चयः; ‘जातु’ (ever) + ‘चित्’ (at all) = ‘ever/at any time’

• काश्याम्: in Kāśī
• काश्याम्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• पंचास्यः: the five-faced one
• पंचास्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पंचास्य (प्रातिपदिक; पञ्च + आस्य)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः—‘पञ्चानि आस्यानि यस्य सः’

• उ: indeed
• उ: Avyaya (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उ (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic/assent particle)

• अथ: then/and
• अथ: Avyaya (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunctive/sequence marker)

• जायते: is born/becomes
• जायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pañcatīrthī

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim completes a five-stop bathing circuit in Kāśī; as water drips from his hair, his form subtly transforms into a radiant, five-faced divine body, with the ghats and temple spires of Kāśī behind him.

Characters & Entities

• Pañcatīrthī
• Kāśī (Varanasi)
• Pañcabhūta (five elements)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is presented as a liberating field; tīrtha-bathing is symbolized as transcending the elemental, mortal condition.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Pañcatīrthī—the collective sanctity of five tīrthas in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing) in the Pañcatīrthī circuit.