Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

प्रति चैत्रं सदा चैत्र्यां यावज्जीवमहं ध्रुवम् । विलोकयिष्ये केदारं वसन्वाराणसीं पुरीम्

Transliteration

prati caitraṃ sadā caitryāṃ yāvajjīvamahaṃ dhruvam | vilokayiṣye kedāraṃ vasanvārāṇasīṃ purīm

Translation

Chaque année, au mois de Caitra—oui, tant que je vivrai, sans jamais faillir—je contemplerai Kedāra, tout en demeurant dans la cité de Vārāṇasī.

Word by Word

• प्रति: each/every
• प्रति: Sambandha (Adverbial relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रति-योगे (preposition/adverb: each/towards)

• चैत्रम्: (in) the month of Caitra
• चैत्रम्: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चैत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; कालाधिकरणे द्वितीया (time-accusative)

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; नित्यत्वबोधक (adverb: always)

• चैत्र्याम्: in Caitrī (Caitra time)
• चैत्र्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चैत्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/Locative); एकवचन; कालाधिकरण (in Caitrī—Caitra full-moon/seasonal time)

• यावत्: as long as
• यावत्: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय/सम्बन्धशब्द)
• Form: अव्यय; यावदर्थक (correlative: as long as)

• जीवम्: while living
• जीवम्: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जीव् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ/शानच्-लोपेन अव्ययीभाववत्; 'जीवन्' इत्यस्य संध्यन्तररूपम्; वर्तमानकाले (while living)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन

• ध्रुवम्: certainly
• ध्रुवम्: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ध्रुव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण द्वितीया-एकवचन (adverbial accusative: certainly/fixedly)

• विलोकयिष्ये: I shall behold
• विलोकयिष्ये: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + लोक् (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future); आत्मनेपद; उत्तमपुरुष; एकवचन

• केदारम्: Kedāra
• केदारम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केदार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन

• वसन्: dwelling
• वसन्: Karta (Agent participle/कर्तृ)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वस् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (present active participle); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; कर्तृसमनाधिकरण (while dwelling)

• वाराणसीम्: Vārāṇasī
• वाराणसीम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाराणसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; 'पुरीम्' विशेषण

• पुरीम्: the city
• पुरीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya; vow spoken by Vasiṣṭha within the narrative)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra (Kedāranātha) in relation to Kāśī-vāsa

Type: peak

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee in Kāśī declares a lifelong vow: each Caitra he will ‘behold Kedāra’; visualized as a calendar-like cycle—spring blossoms, Ganga ghāṭs, and the distant Himalayan shrine appearing in a visionary frame.

Characters & Entities

• Caitra (month)
• Kedāra
• Vārāṇasī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Regular sacred remembrance and repeated darśana, anchored in a vow, sustains devotion for a lifetime.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kedāra is the object of annual darśana; Vārāṇasī is the devotional residence supporting the vow.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A lifelong annual observance in Caitra to obtain Kedāra-darśana (a recurring yātrā/darśana-vrata).