Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

हयग्रीवे महातीर्थे मां हयग्रीवकेशवम् । प्रणम्य प्राप्नुयान्नूनं तद्विष्णोः परमंपदम्

Transliteration

hayagrīve mahātīrthe māṃ hayagrīvakeśavam | praṇamya prāpnuyānnūnaṃ tadviṣṇoḥ paramaṃpadam

Translation

Au grand tīrtha de Hayagrīva, en se prosternant devant Moi comme Hayagrīva-Keśava, on atteint assurément la demeure suprême de ce Viṣṇu.

Word by Word

• hayagrīve: at (the place called) Hayagrīva
• hayagrīve: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hayagrīva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; तीर्थ-नामरूपेण

• mahātīrthe: in the great tīrtha
• mahātīrthe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (mahā tīrtham)

• mām: me
• mām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• hayagrīvakeśavam: Hayagrīva-Keśava (me)
• hayagrīvakeśavam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hayagrīva + keśava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (hayagrīvaḥ keśavaḥ = ‘Hayagrīva-Keśava’ नाम)

• praṇamya: having bowed (to)
• praṇamya: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√nam (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive), ‘having bowed’

• prāpnuyāt: would attain
• prāpnuyāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√āp (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• nūnam: surely
• nūnam: Sambandha (Modifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nūnam (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (particle of certainty)

• tadviṣṇoḥ: of that Viṣṇu
• tadviṣṇoḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad + viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (tasya viṣṇoḥ = ‘of that Viṣṇu’)

• paramam: supreme
• paramam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; padam इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• padam: state/abode
• padam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśī Khaṇḍa dialogues)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hayagrīva-mahātīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrims within Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s phala-śruti audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Hayagrīva-Keśava (horse-headed divine form or emblematic Hayagrīva association) is worshipped at a grand ford; a devotee bows fully (daṇḍavat) on the ghat; light suggests transcendence, hinting at parama-pada.

Characters & Entities

• Hayagrīva
• Keśava
• Viṣṇu
• Kāśī
• Mahātīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even a simple act of reverent surrender (praṇāma) at a sanctified tīrtha is praised as a direct path toward liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Hayagrīva Mahātīrtha in Kāśī, associated with Hayagrīva-Keśava.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Praṇāma—bowing in devotion to Hayagrīva-Keśava at the tīrtha.