Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । मनोरथतृतीयायां व्रतं पौलोमि तच्छुभम् । पूज्या विश्वभुजा गौरी भुजविंशतिशालिनी

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | manorathatṛtīyāyāṃ vrataṃ paulomi tacchubham | pūjyā viśvabhujā gaurī bhujaviṃśatiśālinī

Translation

Īśvara said: “O Paulomī, on Manoratha-tṛtīyā the auspicious vow is to be observed. On that day Gaurī, known as Viśvabhujā—she whose arms pervade the universe—should be worshipped, she who is endowed with twenty arms.”

Word by Word

• īśvaraḥ: Lord (Īśvara)
• īśvaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• manoratha-tṛtīyāyām: on the Manoratha-Tṛtīyā (third lunar day)
• manoratha-tṛtīyāyām: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manoratha (प्रातिपदिक) + tṛtīyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (मनोरथस्य तृतीया)

• vratam: vow, observance
• vratam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vrata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• paulomi: O Paulomī
• paulomi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paulomī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• tat: that
• tat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (vratam)

• śubham: auspicious
• śubham: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (vratam)

• pūjyā: worthy of worship
• pūjyā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pūjya (कृदन्त; पूज्-धातु)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मणि-भावे क्तव्यत्/यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (to be worshipped)

• viśvabhujā: having universal arms
• viśvabhujā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viśva (प्रातिपदिक) + bhuj (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (विश्वं भुजाः यस्याः/विश्वभुजा = having universal arms)

• gaurī: Gaurī (Pārvatī)
• gaurī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaurī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• bhuja-viṃśati-śālinī: possessing twenty arms
• bhuja-viṃśati-śālinī: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhuja (प्रातिपदिक) + viṃśati (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + śālinī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (भुजानां विंशतिः यस्याः सा)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Paulomī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva (Īśvara) instructs Paulomī about Manoratha-tṛtīyā; the icon of Gaurī as Viśvabhujā appears—radiant, maternal, with twenty arms holding auspicious emblems; Kāśī’s temple setting suggested in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Paulomī
• Gaurī (Pārvatī)
• Viśvabhujā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred desire (manoratha) is fulfilled when it is aligned with dharma through a prescribed vrata and devoted worship of Gaurī.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting is the Kāśīkhaṇḍa tradition—Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) as the field where such vratas and deity-worship yield swift merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Observance of Manoratha-tṛtīyā vrata and worship (pūjā) of Gaurī in her Viśvabhujā form.