Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

किंवा प्रतिव्यतीपातमेकसंवत्सरावधि । कोदादिति च मंत्रेण या दद्याद्वरवर्णिनी

Transliteration

kiṃvā prativyatīpātamekasaṃvatsarāvadhi | kodāditi ca maṃtreṇa yā dadyādvaravarṇinī

Translation

അല്ലെങ്കിൽ ഓരോ പ്രതിവ്യതിീപാത അവസരത്തിലും, ഒരു വർഷകാലം മുഴുവൻ, ‘കോദാദിതി’ എന്ന മന്ത്രം ജപിച്ച് ശ്രേഷ്ഠവർണ്ണയായ സുന്ദരി ദാനം ചെയ്താൽ (അവൾ ആ ഫലം പ്രാപിക്കും)।

Word by Word

• किम्: what?/or
• किम्: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययप्रयोग (interrogative particle)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक (or)

• प्रतिव्यतीपातम्: the (rite on) vyatīpāta (astronomical conjunction)
• प्रतिव्यतीपातम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रति (उपसर्ग) + व्यतीपात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• एकसंवत्सरावधि: for one year’s duration
• एकसंवत्सरावधि: Kala-adhikarana (Temporal setting/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक) + संवत्सर (प्रातिपदिक) + अवधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव; ‘एकसंवत्सरपर्यन्तम्’ (for the duration of one year)

• कोदादिति: “kodādi” (mantra words)
• कोदादिति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कोदादिति (मन्त्रपद; अव्ययवत्)
• Form: मन्त्र-उद्धरण (quoted mantra phrase)

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

• मन्त्रेण: with a mantra
• मन्त्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन

• या: she who
• या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक (relative pronoun)

• दद्यात्: should give
• दद्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• वरवर्णिनी: the beautiful woman
• वरवर्णिनी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक) + वर्णिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (वरा च सा वर्णिनी)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Naimiṣāraṇya sages (typical)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devoted woman observes a year-long vow, offering charity on recurring prativyatīpāta days, softly reciting a mantra while presenting gifts to worthy recipients in Kāśī.

Characters & Entities

• Vyatīpāta
• Mantra: kodāditi

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sustained discipline in charity, aligned with sacred timings and mantra, is praised as a potent dharmic practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is within the Kāśī-khaṇḍa tradition; it focuses on calendrical observance (vyatīpāta) rather than a named locality.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Give in charity repeatedly across a year at prativyatīpāta occasions, employing the mantra ‘kodāditi’.