Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 45

Devanagari script

यो जपेद्रुद्रसूक्तानि काश्यां विश्वेशसन्निधौ । पारायणेन वेदानां सर्वेषां फलमाप्यते

Transliteration

yo japedrudrasūktāni kāśyāṃ viśveśasannidhau | pārāyaṇena vedānāṃ sarveṣāṃ phalamāpyate

Translation

Wer in Kāśī, in der unmittelbaren Gegenwart Viśveśvaras, die Rudra-Hymnen rezitiert, erlangt die Frucht, die aus der vollständigen Rezitation aller Veden hervorgeht.

Word by Word

• यः: who
• यः: Kartr (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — relative pronoun “who”

• जपेत्: should recite (japa)
• जपेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष? (न) — तृतीयपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद — “should recite/mutter”

• रुद्रसूक्तानि: Rudra hymns
• रुद्रसूक्तानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्र (प्रातिपदिक) + सूक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (रुद्रस्य सूक्तानि) — Accusative plural: “Rudra-hymns”

• काश्याम्: in Kāśī
• काश्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन — in Kāśī

• विश्वेशसन्निधौ: in the presence of Viśveśa
• विश्वेशसन्निधौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्वेश (प्रातिपदिक) + सन्निधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (विश्वेशस्य सन्निधिः) — Locative singular: “in the presence of Viśveśa”

• पारायणेन: by recitation
• पारायणेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पारायण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन — by (the act of) recitation/reading through

• वेदानाम्: of the Vedas
• वेदानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन — of the Vedas

• सर्वेषाम्: of all
• सर्वेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (वेदानाम्) — of all

• फलम्: the fruit
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — fruit/result

• आप्यते: is obtained
• आप्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), कर्मणि प्रयोग (Passive), तृतीयपुरुष, एकवचन — “is obtained”

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Viśveśvara-sannidhi in Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Not specified in excerpt

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee stands before Viśveśvara’s liṅga, hands in añjali, reciting Rudra hymns; the temple sanctum glows, and faint scriptural scroll motifs suggest the Vedas being ‘fulfilled’ through this act.

Characters & Entities

• Rudra
• Rudra-sūkta
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Viśveśvara
• Vedas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Focused Śaiva devotion—Rudra-hymn chanting—performed at the right sacred locus (Kāśī) can equal the highest scriptural merits.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Viśveśvara’s sannidhi (presence) in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Japa of Rudra-sūktas in Kāśī before/near Viśveśvara.