Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

तौ द्रष्टव्यौ प्रयत्नेन क्षेत्रनिर्विघ्न हेतवे । हुंडनेशं मुंडनेशं तत्र दृष्ट्वा सुखी भवेत्

Transliteration

tau draṣṭavyau prayatnena kṣetranirvighna hetave | huṃḍaneśaṃ muṃḍaneśaṃ tatra dṛṣṭvā sukhī bhavet

Translation

For the sake of making the sacred kṣetra free from hindrances, one should earnestly seek the sight of those two—Huṃḍaneśa and Muṃḍaneśa. Having beheld them there, a person becomes happy and at ease.

Word by Word

• तौ: those two
• तौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), द्विवचन

• द्रष्टव्यौ: should be seen
• द्रष्टव्यौ: Vidhi (Obligation/predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु) + तव्यत् (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: तव्यत्-कृदन्त (gerundive/obligatory), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (to be seen)

• प्रयत्नेन: with effort
• प्रयत्नेन: Karaṇa (Instrument/means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रयत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• क्षेत्रनिर्विघ्न: (for) the obstacle-free (state of the) field
• क्षेत्रनिर्विघ्न: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्षेत्र + निर्विघ्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (हेतवे इत्यस्य विशेषण-सम्बन्धेन), प्रातिपदिक; कर्मधारय (निर्विघ्नं क्षेत्रम्)

• हेतवे: for the sake of, as a cause
• हेतवे: Sampradāna (Purpose/recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हेतु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative/4th), एकवचन

• हुंडनेशम्: Lord Huṇḍana
• हुंडनेशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हुंडन + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (हुंडनस्य ईशः)

• मुंडनेशम्: Lord Muṇḍana
• मुंडनेशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुंडन + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (मुंडनस्य ईशः)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय-भाव (gerund/absolutive)

• सुखी: happy
• सुखी: Karta (Subject complement/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुखिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; कर्तृ-विशेषण

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; Kāśīkhaṇḍa discourse traditionally framed as Skanda’s teaching)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Huṃḍaneśa–Muṃḍaneśa darśana-sthāna (Varaṇā-taṭa)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim earnestly approaches the two guardian forms, Huṃḍaneśa and Muṃḍaneśa, seeking their darśana to make the kṣetra free of hindrances; the pilgrim’s face relaxes into visible ease after the sight.

Characters & Entities

• Huṃḍaneśa
• Muṃḍaneśa
• Kāśī-kṣetra
• Varaṇā (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is not only travel but intentional darśana; seeing the kṣetra’s guardians is taught as a means to remove impediments and gain inner ease.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Huṃḍaneśa–Muṃḍaneśa spot on/near Varaṇā-tīra within Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A practical prescription is given: make effort to obtain darśana of Huṃḍaneśa and Muṃḍaneśa for nirvighnatā (freedom from obstacles).