Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 61

Devanagari script

लब्धोसि कतिभिः कष्टैरिष्टाः संप्रार्थ्य देवताः । त्वन्मुखेंदूदये तात मन्मनः क्षीरनीरधिः

Transliteration

labdhosi katibhiḥ kaṣṭairiṣṭāḥ saṃprārthya devatāḥ | tvanmukheṃdūdaye tāta manmanaḥ kṣīranīradhiḥ

Translation

«يا بُنيّ، بعد كم من الشدائد نلتُك، بعد عبادة الآلهة والتضرّع إليها بإخلاص! فإذا طلع قمر وجهك صار قلبي بحرًا من لبن.»

Word by Word

• लब्धः: obtained
• लब्धः: Predicate (Pratijna/प्रत्ययार्थ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन

• असि: you are
• असि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• कतिभिः: by how many
• कतिभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कति (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: त्रिलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), बहुवचन

• कष्टैः: hardships
• कष्टैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कष्ट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), बहुवचन

• इष्टाः: worshipped
• इष्टाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इष्ट (कृदन्त; इष्/यज्-सम्बद्ध)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन

• सम्प्रार्थ्य: having earnestly prayed
• सम्प्रार्थ्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्+प्र+अर्थ् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव

• देवताः: deities
• देवताः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन

• त्वत्-मुख-इन्दु-उदये: at the rising of the moon of your face
• त्वत्-मुख-इन्दु-उदये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + मुख (प्रातिपदिक) + इन्दु (प्रातिपदिक) + उदय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case), एकवचन; सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष (त्वन्मुखे इन्दोः उदयः)

• तात: O father
• तात: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• मत्-मनः: my mind
• मत्-मनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मत् (अस्मद्-षष्ठी एकवचन-प्रातिपदिकरूप) + मनस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (मम मनः)

• क्षीर-नीर-धिः: an ocean of milk
• क्षीर-नीर-धिः: Predicate (Pratijna/प्रत्ययार्थ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षीर (प्रातिपदिक) + नीर (प्रातिपदिक) + धि/धि (प्रातिपदिक; ‘निधि/धि’ in नीरधि = समुद्र)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (क्षीरः एव नीरधिः)

Speaker

Unspecified in excerpt (likely a mother addressing her child within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: child/son

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A parent gazes at the child’s radiant face likened to the rising moon; the parent’s heart is imagined as a white, calm ‘ocean of milk’ swelling with joy.

Characters & Entities

• Devatāḥ

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It portrays gratitude and reverence for divine grace—seeing life’s blessings as gifts obtained through prayer, worship, and endurance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The wider textual frame is Kāśī, though no specific tīrtha is named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Worship and prayer to deities are referenced generally, without a specific rite being prescribed.