Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 83

Devanagari script

लोलार्कमुख्य सूर्यांश्च प्रणम्य च पुनः पुनः । कृत्वा पिण्डप्रदानानि सर्वतीर्थेष्वतंद्रितः

Transliteration

lolārkamukhya sūryāṃśca praṇamya ca punaḥ punaḥ | kṛtvā piṇḍapradānāni sarvatīrtheṣvataṃdritaḥ

Translation

Se prosternant maintes et maintes fois devant les sanctuaires solaires, au premier rang desquels Lolārka, et, sans relâche, offrant des piṇḍa en tous les tīrtha sacrés,

Word by Word

• लोलार्कमुख्यान्: (the suns) headed by Lolārka
• लोलार्कमुख्यान्: Visheshana (Qualifier of सूर्यान्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लोलार्क + मुख्य (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (‘लोलार्क’ + ‘मुख्य’) = headed by Lolārka

• सूर्यान्: the Sūryas (sun-deities)
• सूर्यान्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय)

• प्रणम्य: having saluted
• प्रणम्य: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-नम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय)

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण/adverb)

• पुनः: again and again
• पुनः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (पुनरुक्ति—emphasis)

• कृत्वा: having done
• कृत्वा: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund)

• पिण्डप्रदानानि: piṇḍa-offerings (funerary oblations)
• पिण्डप्रदानानि: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्ड + प्रदान (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (‘पिण्डस्य प्रदानम्’)

• सर्वतीर्थेषु: in all sacred places
• सर्वतीर्थेषु: Adhikarana (Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), बहुवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (‘सर्वाणि तीर्थानि’)

• अतन्द्रितः: untiring; without negligence
• अतन्द्रितः: Karta (Subject/agent, implied)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अतन्द्रित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन; नञ्-समास/उपसर्गयुक्त विशेषण = ‘not lazy, untiring’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Kāśīkhaṇḍa context: Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Lolārka (Sūrya-tīrtha) and Kāśī sarva-tīrthas for piṇḍa

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At dawn, the pilgrim repeatedly bows at a Sūrya shrine (Lolārka), offering water-arghya; later he moves along multiple ghāṭas, placing piṇḍas with kusa and sesame, invoking ancestors with solemn focus.

Characters & Entities

• Lolārka
• Sūrya (solar shrines)
• Kāśī tīrthas
• Piṇḍa-pradāna (ancestral rite)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage in Kāśī joins devotion and duty: honoring divine powers (Sūrya) and fulfilling pitṛ-ṛṇa through piṇḍa offerings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Lolārka, a renowned Sūrya-associated sacred spot in Kāśī, along with Kāśī’s many tīrthas where ancestral offerings are made.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Repeated praṇāma to Sūrya shrines and piṇḍa-pradāna (ancestral oblations) at the tīrthas.