Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

काशिराजसुता जाता सुन्दरीनाम विश्रुता । पूर्वाभ्यासाच्च कल्याणी बभूव परमा सती

Transliteration

kāśirājasutā jātā sundarīnāma viśrutā | pūrvābhyāsācca kalyāṇī babhūva paramā satī

Translation

Sie wurde als Tochter des Königs von Kāśī geboren und war unter dem Namen „Sundarī“ berühmt. Durch die Übung aus früheren Leben wurde jene Glückverheißende zu einer Frau von höchster Tugend und hingebungsvoller Frömmigkeit.

Word by Word

• काशिराजसुता: the daughter of the king of Kāśī
• काशिराजसुता: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशिराज + सुता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (Kāśī-king's daughter), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• जाता: was born
• जाता: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु) → जात (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्तः (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘जाता’ = born

• सुन्दरी: Sundarī (name)
• सुन्दरी: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुन्दरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नामरूपेण व्यक्तिः

• नाम: by name
• नाम: विशेषण-निर्देशक (Naming particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: नाम-प्रयोगे अव्यय (quotative/‘by name’)

• विश्रुता: well-known, renowned
• विश्रुता: कर्ता-विशेषण (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + श्रु (धातु) → विश्रुत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्त-विशेषण (past passive participle used adjectivally), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सुन्दरी इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्

• पूर्वाभ्यासात्: from prior practice
• पूर्वाभ्यासात्: हेतु (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्व + अभ्यास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-प्रायः (‘previous practice’), पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन

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

• कल्याणी: auspicious, virtuous
• कल्याणी: कर्ता-विशेषण (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कल्याणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सती/सा इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्

• बभूव: became
• बभूव: क्रिया (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• परमा: supreme, highest
• परमा: कर्ता-विशेषण (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सती इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्

• सती: Satī / a chaste woman
• सती: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘सती’ (virtuous woman/Satī)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa/Sūta (deduced: Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narration style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Internal audience of the khāṇḍa’s dialogue frame (unspecified here)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A noble birth scene in Kāśī: the royal palace near the Gaṅgā, the infant named Sundarī, with subtle signs of innate devotion—Śiva symbols, calm gaze, auspicious omens.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Kāśīrāja
• Sundarī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Past devotional impressions (pūrvābhyāsa) carry forward, shaping a virtuous life and continued Śiva-oriented dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) is invoked as a sacred royal birthplace, reinforcing its purāṇic sanctity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; the verse highlights continuity of merit and virtue across births.