Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 35

Devanagari script

त्रिकालमागमिष्यंति कृत्तिवासे न संशयः । कलिद्वापरसंभूता नराः कल्मषबुद्धयः

Transliteration

trikālamāgamiṣyaṃti kṛttivāse na saṃśayaḥ | kalidvāparasaṃbhūtā narāḥ kalmaṣabuddhayaḥ

Translation

কলি ও দ্বাপর যুগে জাত পাপবুদ্ধি মানুষেরাও তিন কালে (প্রাতঃ, মধ্যাহ্ন ও সায়ং) কৃত্তিবাসের নিকট আসবে, এতে কোনো সংশয় নেই।

Word by Word

• त्रिकालम्: thrice daily / at the three times
• त्रिकालम्: Kala-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: त्रि + काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावसमास; क्रियाविशेषण (adverbial: at the three times)

• आगमिष्यन्ति: will come
• आगमिष्यन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + गम् (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Future/भविष्यत्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• कृत्तिवासे: to/at Kṛttivāsa (place/shrine)
• कृत्तिवासे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृत्तिवास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरण

• न: not/no
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation particle)

• संशयः: doubt
• संशयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; वाक्यविषय (there is no doubt)

• कलिद्वापरसंभूताः: born in Kali and Dvāpara (ages)
• कलिद्वापरसंभूताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कलि + द्वापर + सम्भूत (प्रातिपदिक; √भू with सम्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; तत्पुरुषः (कलिद्वापरयोः सम्भूताः = born in Kali and Dvāpara)

• नराः: men/people
• नराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; कर्ता

• कल्मषबुद्धयः: of impure intellect
• कल्मषबुद्धयः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कल्मष + बुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; बहुव्रीहिः—येषां बुद्धिः कल्मषा (whose intellect is tainted)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; narrative voice in Kāśī Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kṛttivāsa/Kṛttivāseśvara (Kāśī)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī or immediate Kāśīkhaṇḍa interlocutor (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Three daily time-windows—dawn, noon, dusk—shown as a triptych: streams of pilgrims approaching Kṛttivāsa; some with distracted, shadowed expressions indicating kalmaṣa-buddhi; the shrine remains luminous and steady.

Characters & Entities

• Kṛttivāsa (Kṛttivāseśvara)
• Kali Yuga
• Dvāpara Yuga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even in spiritually difficult ages, turning repeatedly to a powerful Kāśī shrine is held to be efficacious.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kṛttivāsa/Kṛttivāseśvara in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Trikāla approach—coming at the three daily sacred times, aligning with sandhyā observances.