Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

कंदुकेश समुत्पत्तिं यः श्रोष्यति मुदान्वितः । पूजयिष्यति यो भक्तस्तस्य दुःखभयं कुतः

Transliteration

kaṃdukeśa samutpattiṃ yaḥ śroṣyati mudānvitaḥ | pūjayiṣyati yo bhaktastasya duḥkhabhayaṃ kutaḥ

Translation

ആനന്ദത്തോടെ കന്ദുകേശന്റെ അവതാരകഥ ശ്രവിക്കുന്നവനും, ഭക്തനായി അവനെ പൂജിക്കുന്നവനും—അവനു ദുഃഖമോ ഭയമോ എവിടെ നിന്നു വരും?

Word by Word

• कंदुकेश: of Kandukeśa
• कंदुकेश: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कंदुकेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी-सम्बन्धे (genitival relation) अथवा सम्बोधन-प्रायः; अत्र ‘समुत्पत्तिम्’ इत्यस्य सम्बन्धः (of Kandukeśa)

• समुत्पत्तिम्: origin; manifestation
• समुत्पत्तिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समुत्पत्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative), एकवचनम्

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative), एकवचनम्; सम्बन्धक-प्रत्ययः (relative pronoun)

• श्रोष्यति: will hear
• श्रोष्यति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकारः (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम्, परस्मैपदम्

• मुदान्वितः: filled with joy
• मुदान्वितः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुदा-अन्वित (प्रातिपदिक) = मुदा + अन्वित
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त-विशेषणम्; पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; ‘endowed with joy’

• पूजयिष्यति: will worship
• पूजयिष्यति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √पूज् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकारः (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम्, परस्मैपदम्

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; सम्बन्धक-प्रत्ययः (relative pronoun)

• भक्तः: devotee
• भक्तः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative), एकवचनम्

• तस्य: for him; of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, षष्ठी-विभक्तिः (Genitive), एकवचनम्

• दुःखभयम्: sorrow and fear
• दुःखभयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुःख-भय (प्रातिपदिक) = दुःख + भय
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative), एकवचनम्; समाहार-द्वन्द्वः (collective dvandva)

• कुतः: from where? how could there be?
• कुतः: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Interrogative modifier/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कुतः (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्ययम् (interrogative adverb: ‘whence/how’)

Speaker

Narrative voice (contextually Skanda in Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kandukeśvara

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devotees seated in a small Kāśī shrine courtyard listening joyfully to the origin story; another devotee offers flowers and water to the liṅga; a palpable aura of fearlessness surrounds them.

Characters & Entities

• Kandukeśa/Kandukeśvara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Listening to sacred site-glories (māhātmya) and worship performed with devotion are themselves liberating, dispelling fear and grief.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kandukeśvara (Kandukeśa), the liṅga-site in Kāśī described in this chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śravaṇa (hearing the origin narrative) and pūjā (worship) of Kandukeśvara by a devotee.