Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 61

Devanagari script

समारभ्य प्रतिपदं यावत्कृष्णा चतुर्दशी । एतत्क्रमेण कर्तव्यान्ये तदायतनानि वै

Transliteration

samārabhya pratipadaṃ yāvatkṛṣṇā caturdaśī | etatkrameṇa kartavyānye tadāyatanāni vai

Translation

ابتداءً من اليوم القمري الأول (براتيباد) إلى اليوم الرابع عشر من النصف المظلم، ينبغي أداء زيارة وعبادة المزارات التابعة لهذه العبادة على هذا الترتيب بعينه.

Word by Word

• समारभ्य: starting from
• समारभ्य: Kriya (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आरभ् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive), ‘beginning (from)’

• प्रतिपदम्: the Pratipad tithi
• प्रतिपदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रतिपद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; (तिथिवाचक)

• यावत्: up to
• यावत्: Sambandha (Limit marker/अवधि)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधिवाचक (up to)

• कृष्णा: (of the) dark fortnight
• कृष्णा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषण—‘कृष्णपक्ष’ (dark fortnight)

• चतुर्दशी: the fourteenth lunar day
• चतुर्दशी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर्दशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; तिथिवाचक

• एतत्: thus/this
• एतत्: Sambandha (Deictic/निर्देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः; निर्देशार्थक (thus/this)

• क्रमेण: in sequence
• क्रमेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; करण/रीतिवाचक (in order)

• कर्तव्यानि: are to be done
• कर्तव्यानि: Kriya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Gerundive/Obligative), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; ‘to be done’

• अन्ये: other
• अन्ये: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; विशेषण (other)

• तदायतनानि: those shrines/abodes
• तदायतनानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् + आयतन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (तस्य आयतनानि)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक निपात (indeed/verily)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A calendar-like procession: each night of the dark fortnight, pilgrims move from one shrine to the next with lamps, marking pratipad through caturdaśī in orderly stages across Kāśī’s lanes and ghāṭas.

Characters & Entities

• Pratipad
• Kṛṣṇa Caturdaśī
• Āyatana (shrines)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma in Kāśī is not random devotion but ordered practice—time (tithi) and sequence (krama) discipline the pilgrim’s worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not one single tīrtha; the verse sanctifies the entire set of associated shrines (āyatanas) to be visited in the stated order.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Follow the prescribed krama of visiting/worshiping the connected shrines from pratipad through kṛṣṇa-caturdaśī.