Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 68

Devanagari script

गोप्रेक्षतीर्थे सुस्नाय मुखनिर्मालिकां व्रजेत् । ज्येष्ठावाप्यां नरः स्नात्वा ज्येष्ठागौरीं समर्चयेत्

Transliteration

goprekṣatīrthe susnāya mukhanirmālikāṃ vrajet | jyeṣṭhāvāpyāṃ naraḥ snātvā jyeṣṭhāgaurīṃ samarcayet

Translation

先于牛观圣渡（Goprekṣa Tīrtha）善沐浴，当往面净处（Mukhanirmālikā）。继而于耆长池（Jyeṣṭhāvāpī）再浴，以应有恭敬礼拜耆长高丽（Jyeṣṭhā-Gaurī）。

Word by Word

• गोप्रेक्षतीर्थे: at the Goprekṣa-tīrtha
• गोप्रेक्षतीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो-प्रेक्ष-तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक; components: गो + प्रेक्ष + तीर्थ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), सप्तमी (locative), एकवचन; स्थानाधिकरण

• सुस्नाय: having bathed well
• सुस्नाय: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु) + सु (उपसर्ग)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव (indeclinable), ‘having bathed well’

• मुखनिर्मालिकाम्: Mukhanirmālikā (name of a deity/form)
• मुखनिर्मालिकाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुख-निर्मालिका (प्रातिपदिक; components: मुख + निर्मालिका)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), द्वितीया (accusative), एकवचन

• व्रजेत्: should go
• व्रजेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्रज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• ज्येष्ठावाप्याम्: in the Jyeṣṭhā-vāpī (tank)
• ज्येष्ठावाप्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्येष्ठा-वापी (प्रातिपदिक; components: ज्येष्ठा + वापी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), सप्तमी (locative), एकवचन; स्थानाधिकरण

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

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव, ‘having bathed’

• ज्येष्ठागौरीम्: Jyeṣṭhā-Gaurī
• ज्येष्ठागौरीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्येष्ठा-गौरी (प्रातिपदिक; components: ज्येष्ठा + गौरी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), द्वितीया (accusative), एकवचन

• समर्चयेत्: should worship duly
• समर्चयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्च् (धातु) + सम् (उपसर्ग)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Goprekṣa Tīrtha; Jyeṣṭhāvāpī; Mukhanirmālikā (as a stop/spot)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrim-audience within the Kāśī-kathā frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims at a small tīrtha pool perform snāna; they walk through narrow lanes to another shrine-point (Mukhanirmālikā), then to a stepwell/pond (vāpī) where they bathe again before offering flowers to Jyeṣṭhā-Gaurī.

Characters & Entities

• Goprekṣa Tīrtha
• Mukhanirmālikā
• Jyeṣṭhāvāpī
• Jyeṣṭhā-Gaurī
• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purification (snāna) and focused worship (arcana) at specific Kāśī-sites are integral to Gaurī-yātrā.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Goprekṣa Tīrtha, Mukhanirmālikā, Jyeṣṭhāvāpī, and the shrine of Jyeṣṭhā-Gaurī in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bathe at Goprekṣa Tīrtha and Jyeṣṭhāvāpī, then perform worship of Jyeṣṭhā-Gaurī.