Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

तीर्थे यज्ञवराहाख्ये यज्ञवाराहसंज्ञकः । नरैः समर्चनीयोहं सर्वयज्ञफलेप्सुभिः

Transliteration

tīrthe yajñavarāhākhye yajñavārāhasaṃjñakaḥ | naraiḥ samarcanīyohaṃ sarvayajñaphalepsubhiḥ

Translation

Am Tīrtha, das Yajña-Varāha heißt, bin Ich als Yajña-Vārāha berühmt. Dort soll Ich von Menschen verehrt werden, die die Früchte aller Opferhandlungen begehren.

Word by Word

• तीर्थे: in the tīrtha
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• यज्ञवराहाख्ये: called ‘Yajñavarāha’
• यज्ञवराहाख्ये: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यज्ञ + वराह + आख्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (यज्ञवराह-आख्य = named ‘Yajñavarāha’)

• यज्ञवाराहसंज्ञकः: (I am) one designated as Yajñavārāha
• यज्ञवाराहसंज्ञकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ + वाराह + संज्ञक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (having the designation ‘Yajñavārāha’)

• नरैः: by men
• नरैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन

• समर्चनीयः: worthy to be worshipped
• समर्चनीयः: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement/कर्तृसमानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + √अर्च् (धातु) + अनीयर् (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्ययान्त (anīyar), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; ‘to be worshipped’

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• सर्वयज्ञफलेप्सुभिः: by those desiring the fruits of all sacrifices
• सर्वयज्ञफलेप्सुभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + यज्ञ + फल + एप्सु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (सर्वयज्ञफल-एप्सु = desiring the fruit of all sacrifices)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśī Khaṇḍa dialogues)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Yajña-Varāha Tīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Human seekers described as ‘naraiḥ’ and the dialogue’s sage-listener

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A shrine by the ghāṭa where Varāha stands as the sacrificial Lord—boar-faced, human-bodied—holding conch/discus, with a small yajña-kuṇḍa nearby; pilgrims offer ghee and flowers, suggesting ‘all-yajña fruit’ gathered at one spot.

Characters & Entities

• Yajña-Varāha
• Varāha
• Kāśī
• Yajña
• Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-worship can gather and concentrate the merit of many rites, directing sacrificial aspiration toward devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Yajña-Varāha Tīrtha in Kāśī, where the Lord is revered as Yajña-Vārāha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Samarcana (formal worship) by those seeking yajña-phala (sacrificial fruits).