Shloka 52

The Greatness of Avimukta (Kāśī/Vārāṇasī) and the Doctrine of Liberation-in-One-Life

Devanagari script

तत्र देवाः सगंधर्वाः सयक्षोरगराक्षसाः । उपासते यं सततं देवदेवः पितामहः

Transliteration

tatra devāḥ sagaṃdharvāḥ sayakṣoragarākṣasāḥ | upāsate yaṃ satataṃ devadevaḥ pitāmahaḥ

Translation

তাত দেৱতাসকল গন্ধৰ্বসহ, যক্ষ, নাগ আৰু ৰাক্ষসসকলেও সদায় সেই প্ৰভুৰ উপাসনা কৰে—যাঁক দেৱদেৱ পিতামহ ব্ৰহ্মাও নিৰন্তৰ পূজে।

Word by Word

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (तत्र)
• Form: Adverb of place (देशवाचक-अव्यय)

• devāḥ: gods
• devāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1 विभक्ति), Plural (बहुवचन)

• sa-gandharvāḥ: together with Gandharvas
• sa-gandharvāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sa (सह) + gandharva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1 विभक्ति), Plural (बहुवचन); अव्ययीभाव (सह-गन्धर्वाः = with Gandharvas)

• sa-yakṣa-uraga-rākṣasāḥ: together with Yakṣas, serpents, and Rākṣasas
• sa-yakṣa-uraga-rākṣasāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sa (सह) + yakṣa + uraga + rākṣasa (प्रातिपदिकानि)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1 विभक्ति), Plural (बहुवचन); अव्ययीभाव with enumerated members (सह यक्षैः उरगैः राक्षसैः)

• upāsate: worship
• upāsate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upa + √ās (आस् धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद)

• yam: whom
• yam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2 विभक्ति), Singular (एकवचन); relative pronoun

• satatam: constantly
• satatam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: satata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2 विभक्ति), Singular (एकवचन); used adverbially

• devadevaḥ: god of gods
• devadevaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva + deva (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1 विभक्ति), Singular (एकवचन); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (देवानां देवः)

• pitāmahaḥ: Pitāmaha (Brahmā)
• pitāmahaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitāmaha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1 विभक्ति), Singular (एकवचन); apposition to devadevaḥ

Speaker

Unspecified (narrative voice within Svargakhaṇḍa 33)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: city

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: sagaṃdharvāḥ → sa-gandharvāḥ (avyayībhāva with सह/sa-); sayakṣoragarākṣasāḥ → sa-yakṣa-uraga-rākṣasāḥ; no further sandhi required

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Gandharvas
• Yakshas
• Nagas (Uragas)
• Rakshasas
• Brahma (Pitāmaha)

FAQs

Who is indicated as the supreme object of worship in this verse?

The verse points to a supreme deity (“Him”) who is worshiped by all classes of beings and even by Brahmā (Pitāmaha), implying a highest lord beyond ordinary celestial rank.

What does the list of beings (Devas, Gandharvas, Yakṣas, Nāgas, Rākṣasas) signify?

It signals universality: beings from heavenly, semi-divine, earthly, and even fearsome categories are portrayed as united in reverence, emphasizing the deity’s overarching sovereignty.

What theological idea is emphasized by saying even Pitāmaha worships Him?

It highlights a hierarchy where Brahmā—revered as “grandsire” and called here “deva-deva”—is still a devotee, underscoring the supremacy of the unnamed Lord and the primacy of devotion (upāsanā).