Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 82

Devanagari script

मत्स्योदरी यदा गंगा पश्चिमे कपिलेश्वरम् । समायाति महादेवि तदा योगः सुदुर्लभः

Transliteration

matsyodarī yadā gaṃgā paścime kapileśvaram | samāyāti mahādevi tadā yogaḥ sudurlabhaḥ

Translation

Ô Mahādevī, lorsque la Gaṅgā à Matsyodarī parvient à Kapileśvara du côté occidental, alors survient un yoga (conjonction spirituelle) d’une extrême rareté.

Word by Word

• मत्स्योदरी: Matsyodarī (a place/name)
• मत्स्योदरी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मत्स्योदरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (मत्स्य-उदरी)

• यदा: when
• यदा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb/conjunction: 'when')

• गंगा: Gaṅgā (the Ganges)
• गंगा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• पश्चिमे: in the west / on the western side
• पश्चिमे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पश्चिम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; दिशावाचक-विशेषण (locative of direction)

• कपिलेश्वरम्: Kapileśvara (name of Śiva/linga)
• कपिलेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कपिल-ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (कपिलस्य ईश्वरः)

• समायाति: comes/arrives
• समायाति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• महादेवि: O Mahādevī
• महादेवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (महा-देवी)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb: 'then')

• योगः: yoga (spiritual union/practice)
• योगः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• सुदुर्लभः: very difficult to obtain
• सुदुर्लभः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु-दुर्लभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः/उपपद-समासः (सु + दुर्लभ)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; vocative ‘mahādevi’ indicates address within the narrative)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Matsyodarī–Kapileśvara yoga (Kāśī)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Twilight on the Gaṅgā at Kāśī: the river’s current forms a subtle ‘fish-belly’ curve (Matsyodarī), while on the western side a small Kapileśvara shrine glows with lamps; pilgrims pause as if sensing an unseen cosmic alignment.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Matsyodarī
• Kapileśvara
• Mahādevī
• yoga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred time and sacred place combine; when Gaṅgā aligns with Kapileśvara, the moment becomes a rare gateway for heightened spiritual attainment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Matsyodarī and Kapileśvara in Kāśī, especially their west-side meeting/approach.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated; the verse highlights an exceptionally auspicious ‘yoga’ suitable for pilgrimage acts such as snāna and darśana.