Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

दैत्यारे दानवाराते दामोदर दुरंतक । देवकीहृदयानंद दंदशूकेश्वरेशय

Transliteration

daityāre dānavārāte dāmodara duraṃtaka | devakīhṛdayānaṃda daṃdaśūkeśvareśaya

Translation

يا عدوَّ الدَّيْتْيَات، يا خصمَ الدَّانَفَات؛ يا دَامُودَرَا، يا مُهلكَ ما لا يُقهر؛ يا فرحَ قلبِ دِيفَكِي؛ يا ربَّ الأرباب، يا سيّدَ سادةِ ملوكِ الحيّات!

Word by Word

• daityāre: O enemy of the Daityas
• daityāre: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daitya (प्रातिपदिक) + ari (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (दैत्यानाम् अरिः)

• dānavārāte: O enemy of the Dānavas
• dānavārāte: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dānava (प्रातिपदिक) + ari (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (दानवानाम् अरिः)

• dāmodara: O Dāmodara
• dāmodara: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāma (प्रातिपदिक) + udara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (दाम्ना उदरं यस्य)

• duraṃtaka: O ender of the invincible (destroyer of the hard-to-conquer)
• duraṃtaka: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: duranta (प्रातिपदिक) + ka (प्रातिपदिक-प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; ‘दुरन्तक’ = दुरन्तान् (दुर्जयान्) अन्तं करोति इति (नाम)

• devakīhṛdayānaṃda: O joy of Devakī’s heart
• devakīhṛdayānaṃda: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devakī (प्रातिपदिक) + hṛdaya (प्रातिपदिक) + ānanda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (देवक्याः हृदयस्य आनन्दः)

• daṃdaśūkeśvareśaya: O Lord of the lord of serpents (supreme over the serpent-lord)
• daṃdaśūkeśvareśaya: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daṃdaśūka (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक) + īśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (दंदशूकानाम् ईश्वरस्य ईशः)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A composite devotional tableau: Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa as Dāmodara with a gentle smile (Devakī’s joy) yet surrounded by subdued daityas and nāga-kings bowing—signifying sovereignty over all powers.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa
• Dāmodara
• Devakī
• Daityas
• Dānavas
• Nāgas (serpent-lords)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The divine name is praised as protective power—subduing demonic forces and granting refuge through loving remembrance of Kṛṣṇa (Dāmodara).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the overarching sacred geography; this verse focuses on Hari’s protective epithets rather than a single shrine.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Recitation of these names as a sanctifying hymn (stotra/japa) is the implied practice.