Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

देवी प्रदृष्टवदना दृष्ट्वा प्रासादनिर्मितिम् । गणेभ्यो व्यतरद्भूरि समानं पारितोषिकम्

Transliteration

devī pradṛṣṭavadanā dṛṣṭvā prāsādanirmitim | gaṇebhyo vyataradbhūri samānaṃ pāritoṣikam

Translation

Die Devī, deren Antlitz vor Freude erstrahlte, sah den vollendeten Tempel und gewährte den Gaṇas reichliche, allen gleiche Belohnung.

Word by Word

• देवी: the Goddess
• देवी: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन (feminine nominative singular)

• प्रदृष्टवदना: with a pleased/brightened face
• प्रदृष्टवदना: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of devī)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pradṛṣṭa (कृदन्त) + vadana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः—‘प्रदृष्टं वदनं यस्याः सा’; विशेषण (feminine nominative singular)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund): ‘having seen’

• प्रासादनिर्मितिम्: the construction of the palace
• प्रासादनिर्मितिम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāsāda (प्रातिपदिक) + nirmiti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; ‘प्रासादस्य निर्मितिम्’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष; कर्म (feminine accusative singular)

• गणेभ्यः: to the gaṇas
• गणेभ्यः: Sampradāna (Recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th case), बहुवचन (dative plural)

• व्यतरत्: gave/distributed
• व्यतरत्: Kriyā (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-√tṝ (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत/Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (3rd person singular imperfect)

• भूरि: abundantly
• भूरि: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhūri (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; परिमाणवाचक (indeclinable: ‘much, abundantly’)

• समानम्: equal (to all)
• समानम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of pāritoṣikam)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: samāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; विशेषण (neuter accusative singular)

• पारितोषिकम्: reward/gratuity
• पारितोषिकम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāritoṣika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन (neuter accusative singular)

Speaker

Narrator (Skanda, Kāśīkhaṇḍa frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The Goddess, radiant-faced, looks upon the completed temple and grants abundant, equal rewards to the assembled gaṇas, who stand in reverent rows receiving her prasāda.

Characters & Entities

• Devī (Umā/Pārvatī)
• Gaṇas
• Prāsāda
• Kāśī (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional labor in sacred causes is honored; divine gratitude mirrors the dharmic principle of fair recompense.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī, as the stage for the Ratneśvara temple’s auspicious completion.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct rite; it models the dharma of rewarding those who serve in sacred works.