Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । मनोरथतृतीयायां व्रतं पौलोमि तच्छुभम् । पूज्या विश्वभुजा गौरी भुजविंशतिशालिनी

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | manorathatṛtīyāyāṃ vrataṃ paulomi tacchubham | pūjyā viśvabhujā gaurī bhujaviṃśatiśālinī

Translation

Īśvara sprach: „O Paulomī, am Manoratha-tṛtīyā ist dieses glückverheißende Gelübde zu halten. An jenem Tag soll Gaurī verehrt werden, Viśvabhujā genannt—deren Arme das ganze All umfassen—sie, die mit zwanzig Armen geschmückt ist.“

Word by Word

• īśvaraḥ: Lord (Īśvara)
• īśvaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• manoratha-tṛtīyāyām: on the Manoratha-Tṛtīyā (third lunar day)
• manoratha-tṛtīyāyām: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manoratha (प्रातिपदिक) + tṛtīyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (मनोरथस्य तृतीया)

• vratam: vow, observance
• vratam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vrata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• paulomi: O Paulomī
• paulomi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paulomī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• tat: that
• tat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (vratam)

• śubham: auspicious
• śubham: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (vratam)

• pūjyā: worthy of worship
• pūjyā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pūjya (कृदन्त; पूज्-धातु)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मणि-भावे क्तव्यत्/यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (to be worshipped)

• viśvabhujā: having universal arms
• viśvabhujā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viśva (प्रातिपदिक) + bhuj (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (विश्वं भुजाः यस्याः/विश्वभुजा = having universal arms)

• gaurī: Gaurī (Pārvatī)
• gaurī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaurī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• bhuja-viṃśati-śālinī: possessing twenty arms
• bhuja-viṃśati-śālinī: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhuja (प्रातिपदिक) + viṃśati (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + śālinī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (भुजानां विंशतिः यस्याः सा)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Paulomī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva (Īśvara) instructs Paulomī about Manoratha-tṛtīyā; the icon of Gaurī as Viśvabhujā appears—radiant, maternal, with twenty arms holding auspicious emblems; Kāśī’s temple setting suggested in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Paulomī
• Gaurī (Pārvatī)
• Viśvabhujā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred desire (manoratha) is fulfilled when it is aligned with dharma through a prescribed vrata and devoted worship of Gaurī.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting is the Kāśīkhaṇḍa tradition—Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) as the field where such vratas and deity-worship yield swift merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Observance of Manoratha-tṛtīyā vrata and worship (pūjā) of Gaurī in her Viśvabhujā form.