Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 53

Devanagari script

देव्युवाच । अवश्यं यद्यहं रक्ता तव पादाबुंजद्वये । तथा त्वमेव मे नाथो भविष्यसि भवांतरे

Transliteration

devyuvāca | avaśyaṃ yadyahaṃ raktā tava pādābuṃjadvaye | tathā tvameva me nātho bhaviṣyasi bhavāṃtare

Translation

La Devī dit : «S’il est certain que je suis dévouée à tes deux pieds de lotus, alors toi seul seras mon Seigneur, même dans une autre naissance».

Word by Word

• devī: the goddess
• devī: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1/कर्ता), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/परफेक्ट), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• avaśyam: certainly
• avaśyam: Sambandha (Emphasis/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: avaśyam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निश्चयार्थक = ‘certainly/necessarily’)

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha (Conditional/शर्त)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (शर्त/यदि = ‘if’)

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (अस्मद् सर्वनाम)
• Form: प्रथमा (1/कर्ता), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• raktā: devoted; attached
• raktā: Karta (Subject complement/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rakta (रञ्ज् धातु, क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; अर्थः ‘attached/devoted’

• tava: your
• tava: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (युष्मद् सर्वनाम)
• Form: षष्ठी (6/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• pāda-ambu-ja-dvaye: in (at) your pair of lotus-feet
• pāda-ambu-ja-dvaye: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāda (प्रातिपदिक) + ambu (प्रातिपदिक) + ja (प्रातिपदिक) + dvi (द्वि संख्याशब्द)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7/अधिकरण), एकवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुष) ‘पादाम्बुज’ = ‘lotus-feet’ + ‘द्वय’ = ‘pair’

• tathā: then; so
• tathā: Sambandha (Correlative/तथा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (तथा = ‘then/so’)

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (युष्मद् सर्वनाम)
• Form: प्रथमा (1/कर्ता), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• eva: indeed; alone
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अवधारण = ‘indeed/only’)

• me: my
• me: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (अस्मद् सर्वनाम)
• Form: षष्ठी (6/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• nāthaḥ: lord; protector
• nāthaḥ: Karta (Predicate nominative/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nātha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1/कर्ता/प्रेडिकेट), एकवचन

• bhaviṣyasi: you will be
• bhaviṣyasi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (भू धातु)
• Form: लृट् (भविष्यत्), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• bhava-antare: in another birth
• bhava-antare: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhava (प्रातिपदिक) + antara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7/अधिकरण), एकवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुष) ‘भवान्तर’ = ‘another existence/birth’

Speaker

Devī

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Audience within the frame narration (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī speaks with intense devotion, hands folded, gaze fixed on the Lord’s lotus-feet (symbolically shown), asserting eternal allegiance across births.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Śiva (implied as 'Nātha')

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True bhakti is continuity of surrender—devotion to the Lord’s feet is affirmed as enduring beyond a single lifetime.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The chapter belongs to the Kāśī Khaṇḍa framework, where devotion to Mahādeva is presented as the heart of Kāśī’s greatness.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; the verse centers on inner vow (bhakti-niścaya) and allegiance to Śiva.