Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

वंद्यस्त्रिलोकसुंदर्या याम्यां यो मां समर्चयेत् । काश्यां ख्यातं त्रिभुवनकेशवं न स गर्भभाक्

Transliteration

vaṃdyastrilokasuṃdaryā yāmyāṃ yo māṃ samarcayet | kāśyāṃ khyātaṃ tribhuvanakeśavaṃ na sa garbhabhāk

Translation

Wer Mich im südlichen Viertel in Hingabe verehrt—Mich, den selbst Trilokasundarī ehrfürchtig preist—am berühmten Heiligtum des Tribhuvana-Keśava in Kāśī, der kehrt nicht wieder in den Schoß ein (ist vom Wiedergeburtkreislauf befreit).

Word by Word

• वन्द्यः: worthy of worship
• वन्द्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वन्द्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (Masculine nominative singular; adjective)

• त्रिलोकसुन्दर्याः: of (the) beauty of the three worlds
• त्रिलोकसुन्दर्याः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि (प्रातिपदिक) + लोक (प्रातिपदिक) + सुन्दरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; समासः—त्रिलोकस्य सुन्दरी (Genitive singular; ‘beauty of the three worlds’)

• याम्याम्: in the southern (direction/quarter)
• याम्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: याम्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Locative singular)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• माम्: me
• माम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Accusative singular)

• समर्चयेत्: should worship
• समर्चयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (should worship)

• काश्याम्: in Kāśī
• काश्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Locative singular)

• ख्यातम्: renowned, known
• ख्यातम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ख्या (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (past passive participle; neuter sg)

• त्रिभुवनकेशवम्: Keśava of the three worlds
• त्रिभुवनकेशवम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि (प्रातिपदिक) + भुवन (प्रातिपदिक) + केशव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—त्रिभुवनस्य केशवः (Accusative singular)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negative particle)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Nominative singular)

• गर्भभाक्: subject to rebirth (womb-bound)
• गर्भभाक्: Visheshana (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गर्भ (प्रातिपदिक) + भाज् (धातु; भाक्-रूप)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—गर्भं भजते/गर्भस्य भागी (one who partakes of womb/rebirth)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Tribhuvana-Keśava (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrims/seekers in the Kāśī-māhātmya narrative frame (traditionally sages/Śaiva-Vaiṣṇava audience)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A southern Kāśī shrine of Tribhuvana-Keśava: the deity radiant, worshipped by a devotee; in the background, the personified Trilokasundarī (Tripurasundarī) shown offering reverence, emphasizing the deity’s universal veneration; subtle संकेत of liberation (broken fetters, lotus path).

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Tribhuvana-Keśava
• Trilokasundarī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Single-pointed worship of the Lord in Kāśī is praised as a direct cause of liberation from rebirth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The renowned shrine of Tribhuvana-Keśava in Kāśī, associated with worship in the southern quarter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Samarcana—formal devotional worship of the deity (pūjā/arcana) at the stated Kāśī shrine.