Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

उवाच नयत क्षिप्रं शिशुं मातृगणाग्रतः । तासामाज्ञां च कुरुत रक्षतामुं प्रयत्नतः

Transliteration

uvāca nayata kṣipraṃ śiśuṃ mātṛgaṇāgrataḥ | tāsāmājñāṃ ca kuruta rakṣatāmuṃ prayatnataḥ

Translation

وقالت: «خُذوا الرضيعَ سريعًا إلى حضرة جماعة الأمهات. أطيعوا أمرهنّ، واحفظوا هذا الطفلَ غايةَ الحفظ وبكلّ اجتهاد».

Word by Word

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• नयत: lead/take
• नयत: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नी (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative/आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• क्षिप्रं: quickly
• क्षिप्रं: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्षिप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• शिशुं: the infant
• शिशुं: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिशु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• मातृ: of the mothers
• मातृ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; समासपूर्वपद

• गण: group
• गण: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; समासपूर्वपद

• अग्रतः: before/in front of
• अग्रतः: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अग्रतस् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, स्थानवाचक (in front of)

• तासाम्: of them
• तासाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन

• आज्ञां: command
• आज्ञां: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आज्ञा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक निपात (conjunction)

• कुरुत: do/obey
• कुरुत: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative/आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• रक्षत: protect
• रक्षत: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: रक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative/आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• अमुं: this one
• अमुं: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• प्रयत्नतः: carefully/with effort
• प्रयत्नतः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रयत्नतस् (अव्यय; प्रयत्न)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रियाविशेषण (with effort/carefully)

Speaker

Vikaṭā Devī

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mātṛkā-gaṇa-sthāna (within Kāśī narrative ambit)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vikaṭā Devī issues a crisp command; Yoginīs bow and prepare to depart with the infant toward the assembly of Mothers, evoking a martial-protective procession.

Characters & Entities

• Vikaṭā Devī
• Mātṛgaṇa (Mothers/Mātṛkās)
• Yoginīs (implied as agents)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Mother-goddess tradition emphasizes guardianship: divine feminine powers protect what is entrusted in faith.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The action is situated at Vikaṭā’s pīṭha (Pañcamudrā Mahāpīṭha in the surrounding verses).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A protective instruction: present the child before the Mātṛgaṇa and follow their directives for safeguarding.