Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

नमो मृडानीपतये नमो मृत्युंजयाय ते । यज्ञारये नमस्तुभ्यं यक्षराजप्रियाय च

Transliteration

namo mṛḍānīpataye namo mṛtyuṃjayāya te | yajñāraye namastubhyaṃ yakṣarājapriyāya ca

Translation

Salutations to the Lord of Mṛḍānī (Pārvatī); salutations to You, the Conqueror of Death. O Foe of sacrifice, who shatters ritual pride, obeisance to You—beloved also of the King of the Yakṣas.

Word by Word

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Prayojana (Salutation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; नमस्कारार्थक-निपात

• मृडानीपतये: to the lord of Mṛḍānī (Pārvatī)
• मृडानीपतये: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृडानी (प्रातिपदिक) + पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/सम्प्रदान), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मृडान्याः पतिः)

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Prayojana (Salutation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; नमस्कारार्थक-निपात

• मृत्युंजयाय: to the conqueror of death
• मृत्युंजयाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत्यु (प्रातिपदिक) + जय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/सम्प्रदान), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (मृत्युं जयति इति)

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, चतुर्थी (4th/सम्प्रदान), एकवचन; एन्क्लिटिक रूप (enclitic)

• यज्ञारये: to the foe of (impure) sacrifice/obstacles to sacrifice
• यज्ञारये: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक) + अरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/सम्प्रदान), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (यज्ञस्य अरिः/यज्ञानां अरिः)

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Prayojana (Salutation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; नमस्कारार्थक-निपात

• तुभ्यम्: to you
• तुभ्यम्: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, चतुर्थी (4th/सम्प्रदान), एकवचन

• नमस्तुभ्यम्: salutations to you
• नमस्तुभ्यम्: Prayojana (Salutation expression)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (अव्यय) + युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सन्ध्यन्त-निपातसमासवत् प्रयोगः; ‘नमः’ + ‘तुभ्यम्’ (अः + त् → स्त्)

• यक्षराजप्रियाय: to the beloved of the king of Yakṣas (Kubera)
• यक्षराजप्रियाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यक्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + राज (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/सम्प्रदान), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (यक्षाणां राजा) + तत्पुरुषः (यक्षराजस्य प्रियः)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपात

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Mṛtyuñjaya/Śiva worship within Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sages/pilgrims (frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mṛtyuñjaya Śiva stands granting abhaya; a faint image of Yama retreats; Kubera (Yakṣarāja) offers jewels in reverence; a broken sacrificial altar symbolizes humbled ritual pride.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Pārvatī (Mṛḍānī)
• Mṛtyuñjaya
• Kubera

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva grants victory over death and subdues pride in mere ritual; devotion integrates dharma with humility.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kāśīkhaṇḍa setting frames Śiva as Mṛtyuñjaya especially relevant to Kāśī’s promise of fearlessness and liberation.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct rite is prescribed, but the verse supports Mṛtyuñjaya-upāsanā (worship/recitation) as a protective practice.