Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

अशेषदेवतामूर्तिरघोराऽमृतरूपिणी । अविद्याजालशमनी ह्यप्रतर्क्यगतिप्रदा

Transliteration

aśeṣadevatāmūrtiraghorā'mṛtarūpiṇī | avidyājālaśamanī hyapratarkyagatipradā

Translation

Sie ist die Gestalt aller Gottheiten; sanft und nicht furchterregend, aus Amṛta, aus Unsterblichkeit gewoben. Sie besänftigt das Netz der Unwissenheit und schenkt ein Ziel, das bloßes Argument nicht erreicht.

Word by Word

• अशेषदेवतामूर्तिः: whose form embodies all deities
• अशेषदेवतामूर्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अशेष (प्रातिपदिक) + देवता (प्रातिपदिक) + मूर्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (देवतायाः मूर्तिः) with उपपद-विशेषण अशेष

• अघोरा: non-terrible; auspicious
• अघोरा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अघोरा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• अमृतरूपिणी: having the form of nectar/immortality
• अमृतरूपिणी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अमृत (प्रातिपदिक) + रूपिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (अमृतस्य रूपिणी)

• अविद्याजालशमनी: the remover of the net of ignorance
• अविद्याजालशमनी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अविद्या (प्रातिपदिक) + जाल (प्रातिपदिक) + शमनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (अविद्याजालस्य शमनी)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अव्यय; emphasis/indeed

• अप्रतर्क्यगतिप्रदा: giver of an inconceivable path/goal
• अप्रतर्क्यगतिप्रदा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अप्रतर्क्य (प्रातिपदिक) + गति (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (अप्रतर्क्यायाः गतेः प्रदा)

Speaker

Skanda (contextual attribution within Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (Vārāṇasī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and other Naimiṣāraṇya ṛṣis (typical frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous Devī in Kāśī, serene (aghora), haloed with amṛta-like radiance, holding symbols of protection and knowledge; a net-like motif of darkness (avidyā-jāla) dissolves around devotees at her feet; distant ghāṭas and temple spires suggest the Kāśī kṣetra.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Devatās

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Gaṅgā is presented as a total sacred presence—devatā-svarūpa—whose grace dissolves ignorance and leads toward transcendent spiritual destiny.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgā in Kāśī, revered not only as a river but as a living embodiment of the divine assembly within the city’s māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual; the verse underscores contemplative praise and faith as means by which ignorance is calmed.