Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

मीढुष्टमायोत्तरमीढुषे नमो नमो गणानां पतये गणाय । नमोस्तु ते जन्मजरातिगाय नमो विशाखाय सुशक्तिपाणये

Transliteration

mīḍhuṣṭamāyottaramīḍhuṣe namo namo gaṇānāṃ pataye gaṇāya | namostu te janmajarātigāya namo viśākhāya suśaktipāṇaye

Translation

അത്യന്ത ദാതാവിനും അതിലും ശ്രേഷ്ഠ ദാതാവിനും നമസ്കാരം. ഗണങ്ങളുടെ പതി, സ്വയം ഗണസ്വരൂപൻ—വീണ്ടും വീണ്ടും പ്രണാമം. ജന്മവും ജരയും അതിക്രമിച്ച നിനക്കു നമസ്കാരം; വിശാഖാ, മഹാശക്തി (വേൽ) കൈയിൽ ധരിച്ച നിനക്കു വന്ദനം।

Word by Word

• mīḍhuṣ-tamāya: to the most gracious
• mīḍhuṣ-tamāya: Sampradana (recipient)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mīḍhuṣ (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √mīḍh/√mīḍ 'to be gracious') + tama (तमप् प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त-विशेषण (past-participial base mīḍhuṣ) + तमप् (superlative), पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी विभक्ति, एकवचन

• uttara-mīḍhuṣe: to the greater gracious one
• uttara-mīḍhuṣe: Sampradana (recipient)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttara (प्रातिपदिक) + mīḍhuṣ (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय (uttara = 'greater' qualifying mīḍhuṣ), पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी विभक्ति, एकवचन

• namaḥ: salutation
• namaḥ: Sambodhana/Prayojana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: namas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय, नमस्कारार्थक-निपात

• namaḥ: salutation
• namaḥ: Sambodhana/Prayojana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: namas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय, पुनरुक्ति (repetition for emphasis)

• gaṇānām: of the hosts (gaṇas)
• gaṇānām: Sambandha (genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति (Genitive, 6th), बहुवचन (plural)

• pataye: to the lord
• pataye: Sampradana (recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी विभक्ति (Dative, 4th), एकवचन

• gaṇāya: to Gaṇa / to the host-leader
• gaṇāya: Sampradana (recipient/apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी विभक्ति, एकवचन

• namaḥ: salutation
• namaḥ: Sambodhana/Prayojana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: namas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय, नमस्कारार्थक-निपात

• astu: let it be
• astu: Kriya
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (अस् धातु)
• Form: लोट्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• te: to you
• te: Sampradana (recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (युष्मद्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, चतुर्थी/षष्ठी विभक्ति (Dative/Genitive), एकवचन; अत्र चतुर्थी (to you)

• janma-jarā-atigāya: to the one who transcends birth and old age
• janma-jarā-atigāya: Sampradana (recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: janman (प्रातिपदिक) + jarā (प्रातिपदिक) + ati-gā (√gam धातु with उपसर्ग ati; कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (janma-jarā as objects; atigā = 'one who goes beyond'), पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी विभक्ति, एकवचन

• namaḥ: salutation
• namaḥ: Sambodhana/Prayojana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: namas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय, नमस्कारार्थक-निपात

• viśākhāya: to Viśākha
• viśākhāya: Sampradana (recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśākha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी विभक्ति, एकवचन

• su-śakti-pāṇaye: to him whose hand holds a fine spear
• su-śakti-pāṇaye: Sampradana (recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + śakti (प्रातिपदिक) + pāṇi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (instrument/possession sense: 'with good spear in hand'), पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Agastya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Skanda is hailed as the lord of divine hosts, supremely bountiful, ageless; he stands poised with the mighty spear, surrounded by gaṇas as a luminous commander.

Characters & Entities

• Agastya
• Kārtikeya (Skanda)
• Gaṇas
• Viśākha
• Śakti (spear)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Lord is both compassionate and victorious, and remembrance of His immortal nature lifts devotees beyond fear of decay.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kāśī-khaṇḍa setting frames the hymn; the focus is on Skanda’s cosmic authority rather than a named tirtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual; the repeated “namo namo” indicates devotional repetition akin to japa.