Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

इत्युद्यमं समर्थ्येशो निश्चितं दैवजित्वरम् । पुनश्च प्रेषयांचक्रे गणान्पंचमहारयान्

Transliteration

ityudyamaṃ samarthyeśo niścitaṃ daivajitvaram | punaśca preṣayāṃcakre gaṇānpaṃcamahārayān

Translation

So bekräftigte er die Macht des eigenen Bemühens und war gewiss, dass das Schicksal besiegt werden kann; da entsandte der Herr erneut seine Gaṇas – fünf große Krieger.

Word by Word

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: इत्यादि-परामर्शार्थक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• udyamam: effort; attempt
• udyamam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: udyama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• samarthya: having made (it) ready/possible; having supported
• samarthya: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: samarthya (कृदन्त; √arth/√ṛdh?; here from sam-√arth ‘to be able’, causative sense)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), ‘समर्थ्य’ = ‘समर्थं कृत्वा/समर्थयित्वा’

• īśaḥ: the Lord
• īśaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• niścitam: decided; resolved
• niścitam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: niścita (कृदन्त; √ci उपसर्ग-नि)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कृदन्त-भूतकृदन्त (क्त)

• daiva-jitvaram: destiny-conquering; overcoming fate
• daiva-jitvaram: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daiva (प्रातिपदिक) + jitvara (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक; √ji ‘to conquer’ + वरच्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुष) ‘दैवं जयति इति/दैवजित्वर’

• punaḥ: again
• punaḥ: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/पुनरावृत्त्यर्थक-अव्यय (adverb)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• preṣayām: to send
• preṣayām: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: preṣayā (कृदन्त; √iṣ/√preṣ ‘to send’, causative)
• Form: णमुल्-प्रत्ययान्त-अव्यय (infinitive-like in -ām; purpose), ‘प्रेषयाम्’ = ‘प्रेषयितुम्’

• cakre: did; caused
• cakre: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• gaṇān: troops; attendants
• gaṇān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• pañca-mahā-rayān: five great swift ones/warriors
• pañca-mahā-rayān: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pañca (संख्या/प्रातिपदिक) + mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + raya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; समासः (द्विगु) ‘पञ्च महा-रयाः’ (five great swift ones/warriors)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration-context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva (Īśa) in commanding posture dispatches five formidable gaṇas, armed and radiant, toward Kāśī’s sacred precincts.

Characters & Entities

• Īśa (Śiva)
• gaṇas
• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine purpose advances through resolute effort; even ‘fate’ is not absolute when dharma is pursued steadily.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the sacred stage where Śiva’s gaṇas operate, reinforcing the city’s Śaiva supremacy.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct rite is stated; it introduces a narrative action: the Lord sending gaṇas.