Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

द्विसप्तायतनानां च कार्या यात्रा प्रयत्नतः । कृष्णां प्रतिपदं प्राप्य भूतावधि यथाविधि

Transliteration

dvisaptāyatanānāṃ ca kāryā yātrā prayatnataḥ | kṛṣṇāṃ pratipadaṃ prāpya bhūtāvadhi yathāvidhi

Translation

Mit eifrigem Bemühen soll man die Pilgerfahrt zu den vierzehn Heiligtümern unternehmen. Hat man den Pratipad, den ersten Tag der dunklen Monatshälfte, erreicht, so vollziehe man sie regelgemäß und für die vorgeschriebene Dauer.

Word by Word

• द्विसप्तायतनानाम्: of the fourteen shrines/abodes
• द्विसप्तायतनानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वि (प्रातिपदिक) + सप्त (प्रातिपदिक) + आयतन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; द्विगुसमासः (द्वि+सप्त=द्विसप्त) ततः आयतन-सम्बद्धः

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• कार्या: should be done
• कार्या: Predicate (विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु) → कार्य (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषणम्; ‘कार्य’ = कर्तव्या (gerundive/तव्यत्)

• यात्रा: pilgrimage
• यात्रा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यात्रा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• प्रयत्नतः: with effort, diligently
• प्रयत्नतः: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रयत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb); ‘प्रयत्नतः’ = प्रयत्नेन/यत्नात् (with effort)

• कृष्णाम्: the dark (fortnight)
• कृष्णाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (अमावास्या/पक्ष-रात्रिः इत्यर्थे)

• प्रतिपदम्: the first lunar day (pratipadā)
• प्रतिपदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रतिपद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; तिथिवाचक-शब्दः

• प्राप्य: having reached
• प्राप्य: Purvakala (पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); ‘having reached/after attaining’

• भूतावधि: up to the prescribed limit (up to the prior boundary)
• भूतावधि: Adverbial (अवधि/सीमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भूत (प्रातिपदिक) + अवधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावसमासः; अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः; ‘भूतावधि’ = भूतपर्यन्तम् (up to the past/previous limit)

• यथाविधि: according to rule
• यथाविधि: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय) + विधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावसमासः; क्रियाविशेषणम्; ‘as enjoined’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly as Skanda teaching Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvisaptāyatana-yātrā (Fourteen-shrine circuit) within Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at dawn in Kāśī prepares for a fourteen-shrine circuit, holding a small water-pot and prayer beads, with ghāṭs and temple spires in the background; a lunar calendar mark indicates kṛṣṇa-pratipadā.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred merit in Kāśī is safeguarded by disciplined, rule-based pilgrimage done with sincere effort.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) as a network of multiple āyatanas (holy shrines) to be visited in an ordered yātrā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform a fourteen-shrine yātrā beginning on the dark-fortnight pratipad and completing it within the stated term, following proper injunctions.