Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

घनटंककरा देवी भक्तबंधनभेदिनी । कं कं न पूरयेत्कामं तीर्थराजसमीपगा

Transliteration

ghanaṭaṃkakarā devī bhaktabaṃdhanabhedinī | kaṃ kaṃ na pūrayetkāmaṃ tīrtharājasamīpagā

Translation

Die Göttin, deren Hand ein schweres Beil trägt, die die Fesseln der Verehrer sprengt und nahe beim König der Tīrthas weilt—wessen Wunsch würde Sie nicht erfüllen?

Word by Word

• घनटङ्ककरा: having a solid axe/hammer in hand
• घनटङ्ककरा: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घन (प्रातिपदिक) + टङ्क (प्रातिपदिक) + कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (घनः टङ्कः यस्याः करः/करे = having a solid axe/hammer in hand)

• देवी: the Goddess
• देवी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• भक्तबन्धनभेदिनी: breaker of devotees’ bonds
• भक्तबन्धनभेदिनी: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भक्त (प्रातिपदिक) + बन्धन (प्रातिपदिक) + भेदिनी (भिद् धातु से ‘भेदिन्’ प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (भक्तानां बन्धनं भिनत्ति या)

• कम्: whom/which (desire)
• कम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम

• कम्: whom/which
• कम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति-प्रयोगः (emphatic repetition)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation)

• पूरयेत्: would fulfill
• पूरयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूर् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• कामम्: a desire
• कामम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तीर्थराजसमीपगा: dwelling near the king of tīrthas
• तीर्थराजसमीपगा: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तीर्थराज (प्रातिपदिक) + समीप (प्रातिपदिक) + गा (गम् धातु से ‘ग’/‘गा’ प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (तीर्थराजस्य समीपे गच्छति/वर्तते या)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Tīrtha-rāja vicinity (Gaṅgā / principal Kāśī tīrtha zone)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A powerful goddess near a grand river-tīrtha: she holds a heavy axe (ṭaṅka), stands poised yet benevolent; broken shackles lie at her feet; the river and ghāṭs glow behind.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Tīrtharāja (King of Tīrthas)
• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In Kāśī, the local Devī is praised as both protector and liberator—granting boons while cutting devotees’ bondage.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A Devī-sthāna located near ‘Tīrtharāja’ (the preeminent tīrtha within Kāśī’s sacred landscape).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicit encouragement of Devī-pūjā at the site near Tīrtharāja to obtain kāma-siddhi and bondage-release.