Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

यत्सेव्यं साधकैर्नित्यं यत्र प्रीतिरनुत्तमा । यत्र दत्तं हुतं जप्तं ध्यातं भवति चाक्षयम्

Transliteration

yatsevyaṃ sādhakairnityaṃ yatra prītiranuttamā | yatra dattaṃ hutaṃ japtaṃ dhyātaṃ bhavati cākṣayam

Translation

Lequel doit être servi sans cesse par les pratiquants, où la dévotion est sans égale, où les dons, les oblations au feu, les récitations et la méditation deviennent impérissables ?

Word by Word

• yat: which
• yat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधकं (relative)

• sevyam: to be worshipped/served
• sevyam: Karta (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sevya (प्रातिपदिक; √sev (धातु) + यत्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषणम्; कर्मणि-भाव्य (gerundive: ‘to be served’)

• sādhakaiḥ: by practitioners
• sādhakaiḥ: Karana (Means/Agentive instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sādhaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन; कर्तृ-करणभावे (agent/instrument)

• nityam: always
• nityam: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावेन प्रयुक्तम्; क्रियाविशेषणम् (adverb)

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सम्बन्धबोधकं स्थानवाचकं (relative adverb of place)

• prītiḥ: delight; love
• prītiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prīti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• anuttamā: unsurpassed
• anuttamā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: an-uttama (प्रातिपदिक; नञ् + उत्तम)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (agreeing with prītiḥ)

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; स्थानवाचकं

• dattam: given (as gift)
• dattam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dattá (प्रातिपदिक; √dā (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle)

• hutam: offered (in fire)
• hutam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: huta (प्रातिपदिक; √hu (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त

• japtam: recited (muttered)
• japtam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: japta (प्रातिपदिक; √jap (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त

• dhyātam: meditated upon
• dhyātam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhyāta (प्रातिपदिक; √dhyai (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त

• bhavati: becomes
• bhavati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपातः (conjunction)

• akṣayam: imperishable
• akṣayam: Karta (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-kṣaya (प्रातिपदिक; नञ् + क्षय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषणम् (predicate adjective)

Speaker

Pārvatī (explicit, continuing her inquiry)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ānandakānana-liṅga (to be specified)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pārvatī continues her inquiry, describing the liṅga served daily by sādhakas, where love is unsurpassed and all ritual acts become imperishable.

Characters & Entities

• Sādhakas
• Dāna
• Homa
• Japa
• Dhyāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Place-sanctified practice is said to yield akṣaya (imperishable) spiritual fruit when done with devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse points to a supreme liṅga locus within Ānandakānana, whose identity is being requested.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dāna (charity), Homa (fire offering), Japa (mantra repetition), and Dhyāna (meditation) are named as acts becoming akṣaya there.