Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 55

Devanagari script

धारयंतीं महामायाममृतस्य कमंडलुम् । दक्षिणेऽभयदां वामे ध्यात्वा को नाऽमृतत्वभाक्

Transliteration

dhārayaṃtīṃ mahāmāyāmamṛtasya kamaṃḍalum | dakṣiṇe'bhayadāṃ vāme dhyātvā ko nā'mṛtatvabhāk

Translation

Meditating on Mahāmāyā, who bears a water-pot (kamandalu) of nectar, granting fearlessness with Her right hand and holding it with Her left—who would not become a sharer in immortality?

Word by Word

• धारयन्तीम्: holding/bearing
• धारयन्तीम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of devatā/mahāmāyā)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धृ (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ/शानच्), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; परस्मैपद-प्रयोगः; 'धारयन्ती' = bearing/holding

• महामायाम्: Mahāmāyā (the great divine power)
• महामायाम्: Karman (Object of dhyātvā)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महामाया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: कर्मधारय (महā + माया); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• अमृतस्य: of nectar/immortality
• अमृतस्य: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अमृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• कमण्डलुम्: a water-pot (kamaṇḍalu)
• कमण्डलुम्: Karman (Object of dhārayantīm)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कमण्डलु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• दक्षिणे: on the right (side/hand)
• दक्षिणे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; देशे (location)

• अभयदाम्: (hand) granting fearlessness
• अभयदाम्: Karman (Implied object/attribute)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अभयदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (अभय + दा 'giver of fearlessness'); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; 'हस्तम्/मुद्राम्' इत्यध्याहारः (implied)

• वामे: on the left (side/hand)
• वामे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; देशे

• ध्यात्वा: having meditated (upon)
• ध्यात्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial to main clause)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ध्यै (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive), धातु: ध्यै (to meditate), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• कः: who
• कः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक (interrogative)

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

• अमृतत्वभाक्: a partaker of immortality
• अमृतत्वभाक्: Karta (Predicate nominative/qualifier of 'kaḥ')
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अमृतत्व (प्रातिपदिक) + भाज्/भज् (धातु; भाक्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: उपपद-तत्पुरुष (अमृतत्वं भजते इति); 'भाक्' = कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक (possessing/partaking); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Amṛteśvarī/Amṛteśvara (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrim-audience via the narrative interlocutor

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mahāmāyā stands or sits in a shrine aura, holding an amṛta-filled kamaṇḍalu; right hand in abhaya-mudrā; a devotee meditates with closed eyes, city-temple lamps behind.

Characters & Entities

• Mahāmāyā
• Amṛta
• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Right meditation on the Devī’s form—fearlessness and nectar—yields inner liberation and the promise of amṛtatva.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Amṛteśvarī sphere in Kāśī, where the Devī is contemplated as Mahāmāyā with the nectar pot.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dhyāna (meditation) on the Devī’s iconographic form: amṛta-kamaṇḍalu and abhaya-giving hand.