Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 75

Devanagari script

श्रीकंठोसौ महेशोऽसौ सर्वज्ञोसौ वृषध्वजः । अस्मै कन्यां प्रयच्छ त्वं महादेवाय धन्विने

Transliteration

śrīkaṃṭhosau maheśo'sau sarvajñosau vṛṣadhvajaḥ | asmai kanyāṃ prayaccha tvaṃ mahādevāya dhanvine

Translation

彼こそはシュリーカṇṭハ、彼こそはマヘーシャ、万事を知る全知者、牡牛を旗印とする御方。乙女を彼に捧げよ――弓を執るマハーデーヴァに。

Word by Word

• श्रीकण्ठः: Śrīkaṇṭha
• श्रीकण्ठः: Karta (Predicate nominal/प्रत्ययार्थ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रीकण्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः श्री + कण्ठ

• असौ: that one (he)
• असौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असौ (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• महेशः: Maheśa
• महेशः: Karta (Predicate nominal/प्रत्ययार्थ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः महा + ईश

• असौ: that one (he)
• असौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असौ (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• सर्वज्ञः: omniscient
• सर्वज्ञः: Karta (Predicate nominal/प्रत्ययार्थ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्वज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः सर्व + ज्ञ

• असौ: that one (he)
• असौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असौ (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• वृषध्वजः: he whose banner is the bull
• वृषध्वजः: Karta (Predicate nominal/प्रत्ययार्थ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृषध्वज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः वृष + ध्वज

• अस्मै: to this one (to him)
• अस्मै: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (4th/Dative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• कन्याम्: the daughter
• कन्याम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• प्रयच्छ: give/bestow
• प्रयच्छ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + यम्/यच्छ् (धातु: यम्)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदी

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• महादेवाय: to Mahādeva
• महादेवाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (4th/Dative), एकवचन; समासः महा + देव

• धन्विने: to the bow-bearing one
• धन्विने: Sampradana (Recipient apposition/सम्प्रदान-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धन्विन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (4th/Dative), एकवचन

Speaker

Dakṣa

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Satī (and implicitly himself as recipient of the instruction)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotional tableau: Śiva as Śrīkaṇṭha-Maheśa with bull-banner (vṛṣadhvaja), serene yet powerful, holding bow; Dakṣa’s words become a formal offering, with Satī symbolically ‘given’ in reverence (marriage as sacred offering).

Characters & Entities

• Dakṣa
• Śiva
• Śrīkaṇṭha
• Maheśa
• Vṛṣadhvaja
• Mahādeva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Right action aligns with right recognition—honoring Śiva’s supreme status transforms worldly decisions into dharmic offerings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The passage belongs to the Kāśī Khaṇḍa’s sacred frame, but this verse is focused on Śiva’s identity rather than a named location.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No formal rite is prescribed; it is an instruction within the marriage narrative.