Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 60

Devanagari script

हस्तांगुलीः कमलजा विरजानखांश्च कक्षांतरं तरणिमंडलगा तमोघ्नी । वक्षःस्थलं स्थलचरी हृदयं धरित्री कुशिद्वयं त्ववतु नः क्षणदाचरघ्नी

Transliteration

hastāṃgulīḥ kamalajā virajānakhāṃśca kakṣāṃtaraṃ taraṇimaṃḍalagā tamoghnī | vakṣaḥsthalaṃ sthalacarī hṛdayaṃ dharitrī kuśidvayaṃ tvavatu naḥ kṣaṇadācaraghnī

Translation

Möge jene Devī, lotusgeboren, mit makellosen Nägeln, die im Sonnenorb weilt und die Finsternis vertreibt, die über heiligen Boden schreitet, uns beschützen: unsere Finger und Hände, unsere Achseln, unsere Brust, unser Herz und unser Paar lebenswichtiger Organe; sie, die die nächtlich umherziehenden Mächte des Übels vernichtet.

Word by Word

• hasta-aṃgulīḥ: the fingers
• hasta-aṃgulīḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hasta + aṃgulī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), द्वितीया (accusative), बहुवचन (plural)

• kamalajā: Kamalajā (born of lotus)
• kamalajā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kamala + jā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), प्रथमा (nominative), एकवचन (singular)

• viraja-nakhān: stainless nails
• viraja-nakhān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viraja + nakha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), द्वितीया (accusative), बहुवचन (plural); (विरजाः नखाः)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• kakṣā-antaraṃ: the armpit region
• kakṣā-antaraṃ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kakṣā + antara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया (accusative), एकवचन (singular)

• taraṇi-maṇḍala-gā: moving in the solar orb
• taraṇi-maṇḍala-gā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: taraṇi + maṇḍala + gam (धातु)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), प्रथमा (nominative), एकवचन (singular); कृदन्त: ग (गम्-धातोः क्तिन्/ण्वुलादि-प्रत्ययान्त-प्रातिपदिकवत्: 'going/being in'); (तरणिमण्डले गच्छति/गता)

• tamoghnī: destroyer of darkness
• tamoghnī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tamas + ghnī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), प्रथमा (nominative), एकवचन (singular); (तमः हन्ति)

• vakṣaḥ-sthalam: the chest-region
• vakṣaḥ-sthalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vakṣas + sthala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया (accusative), एकवचन (singular)

• sthala-carī: the earth-walker (name)
• sthala-carī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sthala + car (धातु)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), प्रथमा (nominative), एकवचन (singular); कृदन्त: चरी (चर्-धातोः णिनि/इन्-प्रत्ययान्त, 'one who moves')

• hṛdayam: the heart
• hṛdayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hṛdaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया (accusative), एकवचन (singular)

• dharitrī: Dharitrī (Earth)
• dharitrī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharitrī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), प्रथमा (nominative), एकवचन (singular)

• kuśi-dvayam: the two groins/hips (kuśi)
• kuśi-dvayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kuśi + dvi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया (accusative), एकवचन (singular); (द्विगु: द्वे कुशी)

• tu: indeed
• tu: Nipāta (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• avatu: may (she) protect
• avatu: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: av (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative/benedictive), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular); परस्मैपद

• naḥ: for us
• naḥ: Sampradāna/Beneficiary (for us/नः)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (genitive), बहुवचन (plural)

• kṣaṇadā-cara-ghnī: slayer of night-wanderers (demons)
• kṣaṇadā-cara-ghnī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣaṇadā + cara + ghnī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), प्रथमा (nominative), एकवचन (singular); (क्षणदायां चराः = राक्षसाः; तान् हन्ति)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context: Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta-Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī as a radiant solar presence: lotus-born with stainless nails, seated within a sun-disc, casting rays that dissolve darkness; simultaneously depicted as moving upon sacred ground, guarding the pilgrim’s hands/fingers, armpits, chest, heart, and vital organs; shadowy night-roamers retreat at the edge of the scene.

Characters & Entities

• Devī (Kāśī-kṣetrapālinī/Śakti, implied)
• Sūrya (taraṇi-maṇḍala, implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Seeking refuge in the Kṣetra-Śakti of Kāśī brings protection of body and mind, and the removal of inner and outer darkness (tamas).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) as a living kṣetra guarded by Devī—the ground itself is sacred and spiritually protective.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed in this verse; it functions as a protective stuti/prārthanā (invocatory prayer) to be recited for safeguarding and warding off harmful forces.