Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 56

Devanagari script

हारिणौ सर्वपापानां सर्ववांछितदायिनौ । सर्वेषां जगतीसारौ श्रीकंठश्रीपतीपती

Transliteration

hāriṇau sarvapāpānāṃ sarvavāṃchitadāyinau | sarveṣāṃ jagatīsārau śrīkaṃṭhaśrīpatīpatī

Translation

Sie sind die Tilger aller Sünden, die Spender jeder ersehnten Gabe—das Wesen der Welt für alle Wesen: Śrīkaṇṭha (Śiva) und Śrīpati (Viṣṇu), die beiden Herren.

Word by Word

• hāriṇau: removing; taking away
• hāriṇau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता) / Predicative adjective
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hārin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; ‘removers/stealers away’ (qualifying devau understood)

• sarva-pāpānām: of all sins
• sarva-pāpānām: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास, नपुंसकलिङ्ग (पाप), षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; genitive ‘of all sins’

• sarva-vāṃchita-dāyinau: granting all desired (boons)
• sarva-vāṃchita-dāyinau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता) / Predicative adjective
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + vāṃchita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) + dāyin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (‘सर्वं वाञ्छितं ददाति’), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन

• sarveṣām: of all
• sarveṣām: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; genitive ‘of all (beings)’

• jagatī-sārau: the essence of the world
• jagatī-sārau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता) / Predicative adjective
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jagatī (प्रातिपदिक) + sāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (‘जगत्याः सारः’), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; ‘essence of the world’

• śrī-kaṃṭha-śrī-patī-patī: Śrīkaṇṭha and Śrīpati (Śiva and Viṣṇu)
• śrī-kaṃṭha-śrī-patī-patī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrīkaṃṭha (प्रातिपदिक) + śrīpati (प्रातिपदिक) + pati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समास (समाहार/इतरेतर: ‘श्रीकण्ठः च श्रीपतिः’), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; dual naming the two deities (Śiva and Viṣṇu)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous dual-theophany: Śiva (Śrīkaṇṭha) with blue throat, crescent moon, trident; Viṣṇu (Śrīpati) with conch and discus, Lakṣmī nearby; both radiate as the ‘essence of the world,’ with devotees offering lamps and flowers on the ghats of Kāśī.

Characters & Entities

• Śrīkaṇṭha (Śiva)
• Śrīpati (Viṣṇu)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva and Viṣṇu are celebrated as supreme benefactors—removing sin and granting auspicious aims—inviting inclusive devotion grounded in dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Within Kāśī-Māhātmya, the praise supports the sanctity of Kāśī where divine grace is especially potent.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated; the verse functions as stuti (praise) encouraging worship and remembrance.