Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 78

Devanagari script

अपि नः स कुले भूयाच्छिवे विष्णौ च साम्यदृक् । तदालयकरो भक्त्या तस्य संमार्जनादिकृत्

Transliteration

api naḥ sa kule bhūyācchive viṣṇau ca sāmyadṛk | tadālayakaro bhaktyā tasya saṃmārjanādikṛt

Translation

ഞങ്ങളുടെ കുലത്തിൽ അത്തരമൊരു ഭക്തൻ ജനിക്കട്ടെ—ശിവനെയും വിഷ്ണുവിനെയും സമമായി ആദരിക്കുന്നവൻ, ഭക്തിയോടെ അവരുടെ ആലയം പണിതുയർത്തി, അതിന്റെ ശുചീകരണാദി സേവനങ്ങളും ചെയ്യുന്നവൻ।

Word by Word

• अपि: indeed, may
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle); here: ‘indeed/also/may’ (emphatic/optative nuance)

• नः: of us/our
• नः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (genitive), बहुवचन; enclitic pronoun

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कुले: in (our) family
• कुले: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• भूयात्: may he be/become
• भूयात्: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative/benedictive sense), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; आशीर्लिङ्गार्थे ‘may he be/become’

• शिवे: in/with regard to Śiva
• शिवे: Adhikaraṇa (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• विष्णौ: in/with regard to Viṣṇu
• विष्णौ: Adhikaraṇa (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• साम्यदृक्: one who sees equality (between them)
• साम्यदृक्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: साम्य + दृश् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः साम्यं पश्यति इति (उपपद-तत्पुरुष)

• तदालयकरः: one who serves/works for their abode (temple)
• तदालयकरः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् + आलय + कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः तस्य (शिवस्य/विष्णोः) आलयस्य करः/कर्ता (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• भक्त्या: with devotion
• भक्त्या: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन

• तस्य: of that (deity/temple)
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• संमार्जनादिकृत्: one who does cleaning and other services
• संमार्जनादिकृत्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संमार्जन + आदि + कृत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः संमार्जनम् आदि यस्य कर्म तत् करोति इति (तत्पुरुष; ‘doer of cleaning etc.’)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (temple precincts)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee with folded hands stands between Śiva-liṅga and Viṣṇu-mūrti, offering equal reverence; nearby, workers and devotees sweep the temple courtyard, carry water, and repair the shrine with devotion.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Viṣṇu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True devotion expresses itself as non-sectarian reverence and humble service—building, cleaning, and maintaining sacred spaces.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse belongs to the Kāśī context, emphasizing temple/shrine service within the sacred geography of Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bhakti-sevā: constructing a shrine and performing saṃmārjana (cleaning) and related maintenance as devotional acts.