Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

देवेनैव वरो दत्तो यत्र पूर्वं युगांतरे । पूज्यो महेश्वरः काश्यां प्रथमं कलुषापहः

Transliteration

devenaiva varo datto yatra pūrvaṃ yugāṃtare | pūjyo maheśvaraḥ kāśyāṃ prathamaṃ kaluṣāpahaḥ

Translation

ആ സ്ഥലത്ത് പൂർവ്വയുഗാന്തരത്തിൽ ദേവൻ തന്നേ ഈ വരം നൽകി: കാശിയിൽ ആദ്യം പൂജിക്കപ്പെടേണ്ടത് മഹേശ്വരനെയാകണം—അവൻ കലുഷവും പാപവും അകറ്റുന്നവൻ.

Word by Word

• देवेन: by the god
• देवेन: Kartr (Agent in passive/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Modifier (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण-निपात (restrictive/emphatic)

• वरः: boon
• वरः: Karma (Object in passive/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• दत्तः: was given
• दत्तः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘given’

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सम्बन्ध/देशवाचक (‘where’)

• पूर्वम्: formerly
• पूर्वम्: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययीभाववत्)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (‘formerly/before’)

• युगान्तरे: in another age
• युगान्तरे: Adhikarana (Time-location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युग-अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (युगस्य अन्तरम्)

• पूज्यः: worthy to be worshipped
• पूज्यः: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूज्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तव्यत्/यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (gerundive); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘to be worshipped’

• महेश्वरः: Maheśvara (Śiva)
• महेश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः कर्मधारयः

• काश्याम्: in Kāśī
• काश्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• प्रथमम्: first
• प्रथमम्: Modifier (Order/क्रम)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रथम (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययवत्)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रमवाचक (‘first/primarily’)

• कलुषापहः: remover of impurity
• कलुषापहः: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कलुष-अपह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (कलुषस्य अपहः = नाशकः) विशेषणम् (महेश्वरस्य)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa typically Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Maheśvara (as first-worshipped deity in Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: In a former yuga, the deity grants a boon establishing Maheśvara as the first worship in Kāśī; a divine assembly witnesses the decree, with Kāśī personified as a radiant city-goddess in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Maheśvara)
• Kāśī
• Boon (vara)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Right order and intention in worship matter; in Kāśī, Śiva is affirmed as the foremost purifier to be honored first.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī itself, as the city where Maheśvara’s worship is given primacy by divine decree.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

That Maheśvara should be worshipped first (prathama-pūjā) in Kāśī.