Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

ये त्वां त्रिविक्रम सदा हृदि शीलयंति कादंबिनी रुचिर रोचिषमंबुजाक्षम् । सौदामनीविलसितांशुकवीतमूर्ते तेपि स्पृशंति तव कांतिमचिंत्यरूपाम्

Transliteration

ye tvāṃ trivikrama sadā hṛdi śīlayaṃti kādaṃbinī rucira rociṣamaṃbujākṣam | saudāmanīvilasitāṃśukavītamūrte tepi spṛśaṃti tava kāṃtimaciṃtyarūpām

Translation

Die Dich stets im Herzen bewahren, o Trivikrama — lotusäugig, strahlend wie eine schöne Regenwolke, in Gewänder gehüllt, die wie Blitze aufleuchten — auch sie berühren Deinen Glanz, obgleich Deine Gestalt unbegreiflich ist.

Word by Word

• ye: those who
• ye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• tvām: you
• tvām: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; मध्यमपुरुष-सर्वनाम

• trivikrama: O Trivikrama
• trivikrama: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri + vikrama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; त्रि-विक्रम इति नाम (address)

• sadā: always
• sadā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• hṛdi: in the heart
• hṛdi: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hṛd (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• śīlayanti: cultivate/cherish
• śīlayanti: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śīlaya (धातु; शीलयति)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• kādaṃbinī: like a cloud-bank
• kādaṃbinī: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kādaṃbinī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; उपमा/विशेषणरूपेण (as a simile)

• rucira: beautiful
• rucira: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rucira (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• rociṣam: radiance
• rociṣam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rociṣ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तेजः/प्रभा

• ambujākṣam: the lotus-eyed one
• ambujākṣam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ambu + ja + akṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः—अम्बुजे इव अक्षिणी यस्य (lotus-eyed)

• saudāmanī: like lightning
• saudāmanī: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saudāmanī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; उपमान (like lightning)

• vilasita: gleaming
• vilasita: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi + las (धातु) + kta (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग-समासाङ्ग; ‘shining/gleaming’ अर्थे

• aṃśuka: garment
• aṃśuka: Viśeṣya (Qualified/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṃśuka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, समासाङ्ग (compound member); वस्त्र

• vīta: clad/covered
• vīta: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vī (धातु; वेति/वायति) + kta (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); ‘wrapped/covered’ अर्थे

• mūrte: O embodied one (form)
• mūrte: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūrti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; (समासः: saudāmanī-vilasita-aṃśuka-vīta-mūrti)

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; तद्-सर्वनाम

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-कार (particle: also/even)

• spṛśanti: touch/attain
• spṛśanti: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: spṛś (धातु; स्पृशति)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• tava: your
• tava: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; मध्यमपुरुष-सर्वनाम

• kāṃtim: splendor
• kāṃtim: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kānti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• aciṃtya: inconceivable
• aciṃtya: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a + cint (धातु) + ya (कृदन्त; यत्/ण्यत्-प्राय)
• Form: कृदन्त-विशेषण; ‘unthinkable’ अर्थे; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (रूपाम् इति विशेष्ये)

• rūpām: in form/nature
• rūpām: Viśeṣaṇa (Apposition/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘form/nature’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee seated on a Kāśī ghāṭa at dusk, eyes closed, holding the Lord in the heart; above, Trivikrama appears as lotus-eyed, rain-cloud blue, with lightning-bright garments, radiating an ungraspable yet touchable aura.

Characters & Entities

• Trivikrama
• Ambujākṣa (lotus-eyed Viṣṇu)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steady heart-meditation on the Lord grants experiential nearness to His divine radiance, even if His essence is beyond thought.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse functions as devotional praise within Kāśī Khaṇḍa, reinforcing Kāśī’s bhakti-māhātmya without naming a particular locale.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Continuous hṛd-dhyāna (heart-centered contemplation) is implied as the practice.