Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 170

Devanagari script

मार्कंडेयेश्वरात्प्राच्यां वसिष्ठेश्वर पूजनात् । निष्पापो जायते मर्त्यो महत्पुण्यमवाप्नुयात्

Transliteration

mārkaṃḍeyeśvarātprācyāṃ vasiṣṭheśvara pūjanāt | niṣpāpo jāyate martyo mahatpuṇyamavāpnuyāt

Translation

മാർകണ്ഡേയേശ്വരത്തിന്റെ കിഴക്കുവശത്ത് വസിഷ്ഠേശ്വരനെ പൂജിച്ചാൽ മർത്ത്യൻ പാപമുക്തനായി മഹാപുണ്യം പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• मार्कण्डेयेश्वरात्: from (the shrine of) Mārkaṇḍeyeśvara
• मार्कण्डेयेश्वरात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्कण्डेय-ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; समास: मार्कण्डेयस्य ईश्वरः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• प्राच्याम्: in the east
• प्राच्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राची (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• वसिष्ठेश्वर: of Vasiṣṭheśvara
• वसिष्ठेश्वर: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसिष्ठ-ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन (सम्बन्धे) — पूजनात् इत्यस्य सम्बन्धी; समास: वसिष्ठस्य ईश्वरः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• पूजनात्: from worship
• पूजनात्: Apadana (Cause/Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन

• निष्पापः: sinless
• निष्पापः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निष्पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषणं मर्त्यः इति

• जायते: is born/becomes
• जायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• मर्त्यः: a mortal/person
• मर्त्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• महत्: great
• महत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषणं पुण्यम् इति

• पुण्यम्: merit
• पुण्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• अवाप्नुयात्: may obtain
• अवाप्नुयात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आप् (धातु) + अव (उपसर्ग)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; धातु: आप् (प्राप्तौ)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context: Skanda teaching Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vasiṣṭheśvara

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim walks the narrow lanes of Kāśī from Mārkaṇḍeyeśvara toward the east, arriving at a small shrine of Vasiṣṭheśvara; the liṅga is bathed, bilva leaves offered, lamps flicker; a faint aura of purification surrounds the devotee.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeyeśvara
• Vasiṣṭheśvara
• Kāśī (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva-worship in Kāśī, performed at specific kṣetra-shrines, is portrayed as a direct purifier that yields great puṇya.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vasiṣṭheśvara (a Śiva shrine), located eastward relative to Mārkaṇḍeyeśvara in Kāśī’s sacred map.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pūjā (formal worship) of Vasiṣṭheśvara.