Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 59

Devanagari script

निधाय तत्पुरः प्रोचुः पटीं पश्य कलावति । तवानंदकरी यत्र काचिदस्तीष्टदेवता

Transliteration

nidhāya tatpuraḥ procuḥ paṭīṃ paśya kalāvati | tavānaṃdakarī yatra kācidastīṣṭadevatā

Translation

Sie legten es vor sie hin und sprachen: „Kalāvatī, sieh dieses bemalte Tuch. Hier ist deine geliebte Iṣṭa-devatā, die erwählte Gottheit, die dir Freude schenkt.“

Word by Word

• निधाय: having placed
• निधाय: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (Gerund); उपसर्ग: नि-

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (पुरः)

• पुरः: in front
• पुरः: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरस् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: ‘in front’)

• प्रोचुः: they said, they spoke
• प्रोचुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद; उपसर्ग: प्र-

• पटीम्: the cloth/panel
• पटीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पटी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पश्य: see
• पश्य: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पश् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• कलावति: O artful one / O Kalāvatī
• कलावति: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलावत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• तव: your
• तव: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• आनंदकरी: bringing joy
• आनंदकरी: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आनन्द-करिन्/करी (प्रातिपदिक); आनन्द (प्रातिपदिक) + करिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (इष्टदेवता)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्ध/देशवाचक-अव्यय (relative adverb: where)

• काचित्: some
• काचित्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अनिश्चितवाचक विशेषण

• अस्ति: is
• अस्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• इष्टदेवता: chosen deity, beloved deity
• इष्टदेवता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इष्ट-देवता (प्रातिपदिक); इष्ट (प्रातिपदिक) + देवता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (narration); direct speech by attendants (paricārikāḥ)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Attendants place the painted cloth before Kalāvatī and gently speak, identifying it as her beloved chosen deity—an intimate devotional moment framed as therapeutic reassurance.

Characters & Entities

• Kalāvatī
• Iṣṭadevatā (personal deity)
• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Personal devotion (iṣṭadevatā-bhakti) becomes a doorway through which the sacred power of Kāśī works upon the heart.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the sacred setting; the narrative is part of the lead-up to Jñānavāpī’s praise.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Darśana (beholding) of a sanctified image is implied as a devotional practice.