Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

कांचनाक्षी कामधेनुः कीर्तिकृत्क्लेशनाशिनी । क्रतुश्रेष्ठा क्रतुफला कर्मबंधविभेदिनी

Transliteration

kāṃcanākṣī kāmadhenuḥ kīrtikṛtkleśanāśinī | kratuśreṣṭhā kratuphalā karmabaṃdhavibhedinī

Translation

O golden-eyed Devī, you are Kāmadhenu, the wish-fulfilling cow; you bestow true renown and destroy afflictions. You are supreme among sacrifices (yajñas) and their fruits; you sever the bondage woven by karma.

Word by Word

• kāṃcana-akṣī: golden-eyed
• kāṃcana-akṣī: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kāṃcana (प्रातिपदिक) + akṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः, ‘काञ्चनसदृशे अक्षिणी यस्याः सा’

• kāma-dhenuḥ: wish-fulfilling cow
• kāma-dhenuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāma (प्रातिपदिक) + dhenu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः, ‘कामान् दोग्धि/पूरयति’

• kīrti-kṛt: creator of fame
• kīrti-kṛt: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kīrti (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛt (प्रातिपदिक; from kṛ धातु)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (स्त्रीवाचक-सम्बोधन/विशेषणरूपेण); समासः—तत्पुरुषः, ‘कीर्तिं करोति’

• kleśa-nāśinī: destroyer of afflictions
• kleśa-nāśinī: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kleśa (प्रातिपदिक) + nāśinī (प्रातिपदिक from naś/नश् धातु)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः, ‘क्लेशान् नाशयति’

• kratu-śreṣṭhā: best among sacrifices
• kratu-śreṣṭhā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kratu (प्रातिपदिक) + śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः/कर्मधारयार्थः, ‘क्रतुषु श्रेष्ठा’

• kratu-phalā: fruit of sacrifices; giver of sacrificial fruits
• kratu-phalā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kratu (प्रातिपदिक) + phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः, ‘क्रतूनां फलरूपा/क्रतुफलप्रदा’

• karma-baṃdha-vibhedinī: breaker of the bondage of karma
• karma-baṃdha-vibhedinī: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: karma (प्रातिपदिक) + baṃdha (प्रातिपदिक) + vibhedinī (प्रातिपदिक from bhid/भिद् धातु with vi-)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः, ‘कर्मबन्धं विभिनत्ति’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (standard audience)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī with golden eyes appears as Kāmadhenū—abundant, nourishing—while simultaneously holding a sacrificial ladle/fire motif, indicating she is the supreme sacrifice and its fruit; she cuts chains labeled ‘karma’ around a devotee, granting fame and relief from afflictions.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Kāmadhenu (as epithet)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion to the Goddess is praised as surpassing ritual merit, granting both worldly welfare and liberation by breaking karmic bondage.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the implied sacred setting; the hymn aligns Devī’s grace with the liberating ethos of Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Sacrifice (kratu) is referenced conceptually, but no specific rite is prescribed in this verse.