Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

विष्णोरायतनं नैव कृतं सर्वसमृद्धिदम् । न च सूर्यगणेशानां प्रतिमाः कारिता मया

Transliteration

viṣṇorāyatanaṃ naiva kṛtaṃ sarvasamṛddhidam | na ca sūryagaṇeśānāṃ pratimāḥ kāritā mayā

Translation

I did not build a shrine of Viṣṇu, the giver of all prosperity; nor did I have images made of Sūrya and Gaṇeśa.

Word by Word

• viṣṇoḥ: of Viṣṇu
• viṣṇoḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• āyatanam: shrine/temple
• āyatanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āyatana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• eva: indeed/at all
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• kṛtam: made
• kṛtam: Karma (Predicate/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'made'

• sarvasamṛddhidam: bestowing all prosperity
• sarvasamṛddhidam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + samṛddhi (प्रातिपदिक) + da (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वां समृद्धिं ददाति इति (bestower of all prosperity)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय

• sūryagaṇeśānām: of Sūrya and Gaṇeśa
• sūryagaṇeśānām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūrya (प्रातिपदिक) + gaṇeśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (of Sūrya and Gaṇeśa)

• pratimāḥ: images/idols
• pratimāḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pratimā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• kāritāḥ: caused to be made
• kāritāḥ: Karma (Predicate/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (णिच्-प्रेरणार्थक + क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; causative past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; 'caused to be made'

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (multi-devatā worship)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic Kāśī street-temple scene: a Viṣṇu shrine with tulasī, a small Sūrya niche with rays, and a Gaṇeśa shrine at a doorway; the devotee laments not having built them.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Sūrya
• Gaṇeśa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Supporting public worship—through temples and icons—brings prosperity and religious uplift; neglecting it is a missed dharmic opportunity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the textual setting, but the verse emphasizes pan-Hindu temple merit rather than a single named tirtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Constructing āyatanas (shrines) and commissioning pratimās (icons) for worship.