Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

एकस्तंभमयं गेहमेकदारुविनिर्मितम् । तथा कुरु वरं त्वाष्ट्र यत्रेच्छा तत्र धारये

Transliteration

ekastaṃbhamayaṃ gehamekadāruvinirmitam | tathā kuru varaṃ tvāṣṭra yatrecchā tatra dhāraye

Translation

«Ô Tvāṣṭra excellent, façonne une demeure d’un seul pilier, taillée d’une seule pièce de bois, afin que je puisse la poser et la porter où bon me semblera.»

Word by Word

• एकस्तम्भमयम्: made of a single pillar
• एकस्तम्भमयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक-स्तम्भ-मय (प्रातिपदिक; एक + स्तम्भ + मय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘मय’ (made of) तत्पुरुष-समास

• गेहम्: house
• गेहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गेह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• एकदारुविनिर्मितम्: constructed from a single piece of wood
• एकदारुविनिर्मितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक-दारु-विनिर्मित (प्रातिपदिक; एक + दारु + विनिर्मित)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘विनिर्मित’ (कृदन्त; वि-नि-√मा (धातु) + क्त) विशेषण; एकदारुणा विनिर्मितम्

• तथा: thus
• तथा: Modifier (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक अव्यय (thus)

• कुरु: make; do
• कुरु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• वरम्: an excellent (one); a boon/choice thing
• वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणार्थे अपि (as ‘best/excellent thing’)

• त्वाष्ट्र: O Tvāṣṭra (son/descendant of Tvaṣṭṛ)
• त्वाष्ट्र: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वाष्ट्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; ‘त्वष्टृ’-सम्बन्धी (descendant/son of Tvaṣṭṛ)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adverbial (देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (relative adverb: where)

• इच्छा: desire; wish
• इच्छा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इच्छा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adverbial (देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (correlative adverb: there)

• धारये: I hold/carry/wear
• धारये: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √धृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (धारयते-प्रयोगे), अत्र ‘धारये’ रूपेण आत्मनेपद-प्रयोगः (I can hold/wear/carry)

Speaker

Guru-kanyā (continuing), within Skanda’s narration to Agastya (context of Kāśīkhaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta-Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A miraculous house made from a single pillar and a single piece of wood—light enough to be carried and placed anywhere—crafted by the divine artisan at the maiden’s wish.

Characters & Entities

• Guru-kanyā
• Tvāṣṭra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even wondrous achievements are framed as service; dharma esteems capability placed in the service of rightful authority.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The passage belongs to the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī milieu; this verse itself is not a direct tīrtha-stuti.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a request describing an extraordinary, portable dwelling.