Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

शार्ङ्गचापविनिर्मुक्त महेषुभिरितस्ततः । उत्सादयंतीं प्रत्यूहान्काश्यां नारायणीं श्रयेत्

Transliteration

śārṅgacāpavinirmukta maheṣubhiritastataḥ | utsādayaṃtīṃ pratyūhānkāśyāṃ nārāyaṇīṃ śrayet

Translation

കാശിയിൽ ശാർങ്ഗധനുസ്സിൽ നിന്നു വിട്ട മഹാബാണങ്ങളാൽ എല്ലാദിക്കുകളിലുമുള്ള വിഘ്നങ്ങളെ നശിപ്പിക്കുന്ന നാരായണിയെ ശരണം പ്രാപിക്കണം।

Word by Word

• śārṅga-cāpa-vinirmukta: released from the Śārṅga bow
• śārṅga-cāpa-vinirmukta: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śārṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + cāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + vinirmukta (कृदन्त; वि-निर्-√muc मुच्)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे द्वितीया-विभक्तिः एकवचनम्; कृदन्त-विशेषणम् (भूतकृदन्तः, क्त-प्रत्ययः) — Feminine Accusative Singular, past passive participle used adjectivally

• mahā-iṣubhiḥ: with great arrows
• mahā-iṣubhiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + iṣu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे तृतीया-विभक्तिः बहुवचनम् — Masculine Instrumental Plural

• itaḥ: from here
• itaḥ: Adhikaraṇa (Locative sense/अधिकरण-भाव)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: itaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; अव्यय-प्रकारः: अव्यय-प्रत्ययान्त/दिक्शब्द-निष्पन्नम्; अर्थे: ‘from here/there’ — Indeclinable adverb

• tataḥ: then/from there
• tataḥ: Adhikaraṇa (Temporal/अधिकरण-भाव)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; अव्यय-प्रकारः: दिक्शब्द-निष्पन्नम्; अर्थे: ‘then/from there’ — Indeclinable adverb

• utsādayantīm: destroying/overcoming
• utsādayantīm: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ut-√sad (सद्) + śatṛ (शतृ)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे द्वितीया-विभक्तिः एकवचनम्; वर्तमानकृदन्तः (शतृ) — Feminine Accusative Singular, present active participle

• pratyūhān: obstacles
• pratyūhān: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pratyūha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया-विभक्तिः बहुवचनम् — Masculine Accusative Plural

• kāśyām: in Kāśī
• kāśyām: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे सप्तमी-विभक्तिः एकवचनम् — Feminine Locative Singular

• nārāyaṇīm: Nārāyaṇī (the goddess)
• nārāyaṇīm: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārāyaṇī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे द्वितीया-विभक्तिः एकवचनम् — Feminine Accusative Singular

• śrayet: should resort to / take refuge in
• śrayet: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śri (श्रि)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम् — Optative, Active, 3rd person singular

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nārāyaṇī (Kāśī)

Type: temple

Visual Art Cues

Scene: In the lanes of Kāśī, Nārāyaṇī stands as a fierce-protective Vaiṣṇavī: Śārṅga-bow imagery implied, arrows radiating outward to shatter unseen obstacles around the devotee.

Characters & Entities

• Nārāyaṇī
• Śārṅga (bow)
• Kāśī
• Pratyūha (obstacles)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Taking śaraṇāgati (refuge) in the Devī at a sacred place is portrayed as a powerful means to overcome worldly and spiritual impediments.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Nārāyaṇī’s presence in Kāśī, described as an obstacle-destroying refuge.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śrayaṇa: the instruction is to ‘take refuge’ in Nārāyaṇī (devotional approach, prayer, worship).