Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 90

Devanagari script

पत्रैः शतसहस्रैश्च स समानर्च शंकरम् । पंचामृतैर्द्रोणमितैर्लक्षकृत्वः प्रयत्नतः

Transliteration

patraiḥ śatasahasraiśca sa samānarca śaṃkaram | paṃcāmṛtairdroṇamitairlakṣakṛtvaḥ prayatnataḥ

Translation

Mit Hunderttausenden von Blättern verehrte er Śaṅkara in rechter Weise; und mit Pañcāmṛta, nach Droṇas bemessen, badete und ehrte er Ihn — hunderttausendmal, mit größter Anstrengung.

Word by Word

• पत्रैः: with leaves
• पत्रैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण) विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Neuter, Instrumental, Plural)

• शतसहस्रैः: with hundreds and thousands (i.e., in vast numbers)
• शतसहस्रैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शत + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण) विभक्ति, बहुवचन; द्विगुसमास (संख्यापूर्वक) (Neuter, Instrumental, Plural; numerical compound)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (Masculine, Nominative, Singular; pronoun)

• सम्: fully, together (prefix)
• सम्: Sambandha (Preverb/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम् (उपसर्ग)
• Form: उपसर्ग (preverb) — अर्च धातोः सह (with the verb arc)

• आनर्च: worshipped
• आनर्च: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (अङ्ग-आगमयुक्तः) भूतकाल, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम् (Aorist/Past, 3rd person, Singular; Parasmaipada)

• शंकरम्: Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• शंकरम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शंकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

• पंचामृतैः: with pañcāmṛta (five nectars)
• पंचामृतैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च + अमृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण) विभक्ति, बहुवचन; द्विगुसमास (पञ्चानाम् अमृतानाम् समाहारः) (Neuter, Instrumental, Plural; 'five-nectars' compound)

• द्रोणमितैः: measured in droṇa measures
• द्रोणमितैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्रोण + मित (√मा धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय; कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण) विभक्ति, बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण; तत्पुरुष (द्रोणेन मितम्) (Neuter, Instrumental, Plural; past participle 'measured by droṇa')

• लक्षकृत्वः: a hundred-thousand times
• लक्षकृत्वः: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: लक्ष + कृत्वस् (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय, परिमाण/आवृत्तिवाचक (frequency adverb); तत्पुरुष (लक्षं कृत्वः = लक्षवारम्)

• प्रयत्नतः: with effort, diligently
• प्रयत्नतः: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रयत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय, तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (ablatival adverb) (adverb: 'with effort')

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A grand abhiṣeka: attendants pour pañcāmṛta in continuous streams over a Śiva-liṅga; mountains of leaves surround the altar; the devotee counts repetitions with focused intensity, lamps blazing and vessels lined up.

Characters & Entities

• Śaṅkara
• Śukra
• Pañcāmṛta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Extraordinary spiritual resolve—repetition, purity, and disciplined giving—constitutes a powerful form of Śiva-devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī, where intense arcana and abhiṣeka of Śaṅkara are depicted as supremely efficacious.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Leaf-offerings in vast number and pañcāmṛta abhiṣeka, repeated up to a lakh times with diligence.