Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 58

Devanagari script

विजिग्ये त्रिपुरं यस्तु हेलयैकेषु मोक्षणात् । तं समभ्यर्च्य भूतेशं को न पूज्यतमो भवेत्

Transliteration

vijigye tripuraṃ yastu helayaikeṣu mokṣaṇāt | taṃ samabhyarcya bhūteśaṃ ko na pūjyatamo bhavet

Translation

Wer würde nicht zum eifrigsten Verehrer werden, nachdem er Bhūteśa (Śiva) geehrt hat — ihn, der Tripura besiegte und der selbst durch eine beiläufige Tat manchen Befreiung gewährt?

Word by Word

• विजिग्ये: conquered
• विजिग्ये: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जि (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular); परस्मैपद

• त्रिपुरम्: Tripura (the three cities)
• त्रिपुरम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिपुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (singular)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (singular)

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha/Discourse particle (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), विरोध/विशेषार्थक

• हेलया: with ease; playfully
• हेलया: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हेला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (singular)

• एकेषु: among some/among the few
• एकेषु: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), सप्तमी (Locative/7th), बहुवचन (plural)

• मोक्षणात्: from (their) release/deliverance
• मोक्षणात्: Apadana (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोक्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), पञ्चमी (Ablative/5th), एकवचन (singular)

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (singular)

• समभ्यर्च्य: having worshipped
• समभ्यर्च्य: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+अभि+अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; ‘having worshipped’

• भूतेशम्: the Lord of beings (Śiva)
• भूतेशम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूत+ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: भूतानाम् ईशः

• कः: who
• कः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (singular)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (प्रतिषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation particle)

• पूज्यतमः: most worthy of worship
• पूज्यतमः: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (कर्तृ-समानााधिकरण/प्रेडिकेट)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूज्य (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) + तमप् (तद्धित)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (singular); अतिशय (superlative)

• भवेत्: would be/becomes
• भवेत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular); परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (Bhūteśa/Śiva worship context)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee in Kāśī offers arghya and bilva to Bhūteśa-Śiva; in the background a cosmic vignette of Tripura’s burning suggests Śiva’s victorious power and liberating grace.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Bhūteśa)
• Tripura

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva is supremely worthy of worship because he destroys cosmic evil (Tripura) and can grant liberation even through minimal or casual devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader setting is Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, where Śiva’s worship—especially of the liṅga—is praised as a direct path to merit and liberation.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Duly worshipping (samabhyarcya) Bhūteśa/Śiva—implying pūjā, especially in the Kāśī context of liṅga-arcana.