Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 58

Devanagari script

अंधकारे नमस्तुभ्यमाद्यंतरहिताय च । इडाधाराय ईशाय उपेद्रेंद्रस्तुताय च

Transliteration

aṃdhakāre namastubhyamādyaṃtarahitāya ca | iḍādhārāya īśāya upedreṃdrastutāya ca

Translation

അന്ധകാരനാശകനായ പ്രഭുവേ, നിനക്ക് നമസ്കാരം; ആദ്യന്തരഹിതനേ നമസ്കാരം. ഇഡാധാരനേ, ഈശ്വരനേ, ഉപേന്ദ്രൻ (വിഷ്ണു)യും ഇന്ദ്രനും സ്തുതിക്കുന്നവനേ—നിനക്ക് നമഃ.

Word by Word

• अन्धकारे: in darkness
• अन्धकारे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्धकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Karma (Object of salutation/कर्म)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोगः; नमः-शब्दः (salutation particle)

• तुभ्यम्: to you
• तुभ्यम्: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन

• आद्यन्तरहिताय: to the one without beginning and end
• आद्यन्तरहिताय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आदि-अन्त-रहित (प्रातिपदिक); आदि (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्त (प्रातिपदिक) + रहित (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; (समासः तत्पुरुषः: आद्यन्ताभ्यां रहितः)

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

• इडाधाराय: to the support of Iḍā
• इडाधाराय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इडा-आधार (प्रातिपदिक); इडा (प्रातिपदिक) + आधार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; (समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: इडायाः आधारः)

• ईशाय: to the Lord
• ईशाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन

• उपेन्द्रेन्द्रस्तुताय: to the one praised by Upendra and Indra
• उपेन्द्रेन्द्रस्तुताय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपेन्द्र-इन्द्र-स्तुत (प्रातिपदिक); उपेन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक) + इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक) + स्तुत (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; (समासः द्वन्द्वः: उपेन्द्रश्च इन्द्रश्च; ताभ्यां स्तुतः)

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

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Viśveśvara as dispeller of avidyā)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic night dissolves as Śiva appears as boundless presence; Indra and Viṣṇu stand in reverent praise; a subtle yogic diagram (iḍā) is hinted as a luminous channel supporting the inner universe.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Viṣṇu (Upendra)
• Indra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva is beginningless and endless, praised even by the great devas; He is the support of sacred power and illumination.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kāśīkhaṇḍa backdrop frames this as praise of the Lord of Kāśī, where divine illumination overcomes spiritual ‘darkness’.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the devotional act is stuti (praise) aligning the worshipper with the devas’ reverence.