Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 74

Devanagari script

यत्र वज्रधरः शक्रः शतयज्ञैकदीक्षितः । त्रयस्त्रिंशतिकोटीनाममराणां पतिः स्वयम्

Transliteration

yatra vajradharaḥ śakraḥ śatayajñaikadīkṣitaḥ | trayastriṃśatikoṭīnāmamarāṇāṃ patiḥ svayam

Translation

There, in that sacred place, is Śakra (Indra) himself—the wielder of the thunderbolt—consecrated for a hundred sacrifices, the very lord of the thirty-three crores of immortals.

Word by Word

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Locative setting/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (स्थानवाचक-अव्यय/adverb of place)

• वज्रधरः: Vajradhara (the wielder of the thunderbolt)
• वज्रधरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vajra-dhara (प्रातिपदिक; वज्र + धर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (वज्रं धरतीति)

• शक्रः: Śakra (Indra)
• शक्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śakra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• शतयज्ञैकदीक्षितः: initiated for (i.e., performer of) a hundred sacrifices alone
• शतयज्ञैकदीक्षितः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śata-yajña-eka-dīkṣita (प्रातिपदिक; शत + यज्ञ + एक + दीक्षित)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः (निर्धारण/तत्पुरुष-प्रायः) — ‘शतयज्ञेषु एकः दीक्षितः’ इति

• त्रयस्त्रिंशतिकोटीनाम्: of the thirty-three crores
• त्रयस्त्रिंशतिकोटीनाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: trayas-triṃśat-koṭi (प्रातिपदिक; त्रयस् + त्रिंशत् + कोटि)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (कोटि), षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; समासः (संख्या-तत्पुरुषः)

• अमराणाम्: of the immortals (gods)
• अमराणाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: amara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• पतिः: lord
• पतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• स्वयम्: himself
• स्वयम्: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: svayam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/particle; emphatic)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśī Khaṇḍa dialogue, typically Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta-Kāśī (Kāśī-śmaśāna sphere)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous yajña-maṇḍapa within the paradoxical landscape of Kāśī’s śmaśāna: Indra (vajra in hand) seated among devas, with sacrificial fires blazing, while the background hints at cremation pyres transformed into a sacred aura.

Characters & Entities

• Śakra (Indra)
• Vajra
• Amarāḥ (Devas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even the king of the devas is portrayed as present and ritually consecrated there, implying the place’s supreme sanctity and merit beyond ordinary locations.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) in the Kāśī Khaṇḍa context, especially the sacred zone connected with the śmaśāna-mahātmya of Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dīkṣā for yajñas—specifically Indra’s consecration for a hundred sacrifices—highlighting the ritual power associated with the place.