Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

श्रीवत्सलांछनहरेच्युतकैटभारे गोविंदतार्क्ष्य रथकेशवचक्रपाणे । लक्ष्मीपते दनुजसूदन शार्ङ्गपाणे त्वद्भक्तिभाजि न भयंक्वचिदस्ति पुंसि

Transliteration

śrīvatsalāṃchanaharecyutakaiṭabhāre goviṃdatārkṣya rathakeśavacakrapāṇe | lakṣmīpate danujasūdana śārṅgapāṇe tvadbhaktibhāji na bhayaṃkvacidasti puṃsi

Translation

O Hari marked with Śrīvatsa; O Acyuta who bore the burden against Kaiṭabha; O Govinda, O Keśava whose chariot is Garuḍa, O Discus-bearer; O Lord of Lakṣmī, slayer of the Dānavas, wielder of Śārṅga—there is no fear anywhere for the person who partakes of devotion to You.

Word by Word

• śrīvatsa: Śrīvatsa mark
• śrīvatsa: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrīvatsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, समासाङ्ग; विष्णोर्लाञ्छनविशेषः

• lāṃchana: emblem
• lāṃchana: Viśeṣya (Qualified/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lāṃchana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, समासाङ्ग; चिह्न

• hara: O bearer
• hara: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hṛ (धातु) + a (ण्वुल्/प्रातिपदिक; हर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; (समासः: śrīvatsa-lāṃchana-hara)

• acyuta: O Acyuta
• acyuta: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: a + cyu (धातु) + kta/प्रातिपदिक (अच्युत)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; विष्णुनाम

• kaiṭabha: Kaiṭabha (demon)
• kaiṭabha: Viśeṣya (Qualified/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kaiṭabha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, समासाङ्ग; असुरनाम

• āre: O foe (slayer)
• āre: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ari (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; ‘enemy’ (समासः: kaiṭabha-ari)

• govinda: O Govinda
• govinda: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: govinda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; विष्णुनाम

• tārkṣya: O Tārkṣya (Garuda)
• tārkṣya: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tārkṣya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; गरुडनाम

• ratha: chariot
• ratha: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ratha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, समासाङ्ग; रथ

• keśava: O Keśava
• keśava: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: keśava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; विष्णुनाम (समासः: ratha-keśava)

• cakra: discus
• cakra: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cakra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, समासाङ्ग; चक्र (discus)

• pāṇe: O one with the discus in hand
• pāṇe: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāṇi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः—चक्रः पाणौ यस्य (cakra-in-hand)

• lakṣmī: Lakṣmī
• lakṣmī: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lakṣmī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, समासाङ्ग

• pate: O lord of Lakṣmī
• pate: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—लक्ष्म्याः पतिः

• danuja: demon
• danuja: Viśeṣya (Qualified/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: danuja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, समासाङ्ग; दनोरपत्यं (demon)

• sūdana: O slayer of demons
• sūdana: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūdana (प्रातिपदिक; from धातु सूद्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—दनुजानां सूदनः (slayer)

• śārṅga: Śārṅga (bow)
• śārṅga: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śārṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, समासाङ्ग; धनुर्नाम

• pāṇe: O one with the bow in hand
• pāṇe: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāṇi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः—शार्ङ्गः पाणौ यस्य

• tvad: your
• tvad: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-समासपूर्वपद (genitive base) ‘your’

• bhakti: devotion
• bhakti: Viśeṣya (Qualified/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, समासाङ्ग; devotion

• bhāji: in a devotee of you
• bhāji: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhaj (धातु) + in (कृदन्त; इन्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक (इन्), पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—त्वद्भक्तिं भजति इति (one who partakes of your devotion)

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• bhayam: fear
• bhayam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• kvacit: anywhere/ever
• kvacit: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kvacit (अव्यय)
• Form: देश/कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: anywhere/ever)

• asti: is
• asti: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु; अस्ति)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• puṃsi: in a person
• puṃsi: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pumān (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; ‘in a man/person’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Hari stands radiant with Śrīvatsa on chest, holding cakra and śārṅga; Garuḍa as his ratha; behind him subdued daitya forms (Kaiṭabha/others) symbolizing conquered fear; a devotee at Kāśī feels protected amid the city’s bustle.

Characters & Entities

• Hari
• Śrīvatsa
• Acyuta
• Kaiṭabha
• Govinda
• Garuḍa (Tārkṣya)
• Keśava
• Lakṣmī
• Śārṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Bhakti (devotion) to the Lord grants abhaya—freedom from fear—because the devotee is sheltered by divine protection.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kāśī Khaṇḍa context frames the hymn; the verse itself is a stuti, not a site-description.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Cultivating devotion (bhakti) and reciting the Lord’s names/epithets is implied.