Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 70

Devanagari script

सा पूजितास्तुता मर्त्यैः क्षेत्रसिद्धिं प्रयच्छति । वायव्यां च शिखी चंडी क्षेत्ररक्षाकरी परा

Transliteration

sā pūjitāstutā martyaiḥ kṣetrasiddhiṃ prayacchati | vāyavyāṃ ca śikhī caṃḍī kṣetrarakṣākarī parā

Translation

മർത്ത്യർ പൂജിക്കുകയും സ്തുതിക്കുകയും ചെയ്താൽ അവൾ ഈ ക്ഷേത്രസിദ്ധി നൽകുന്നു. വായവ്യ (വടക്ക്-പടിഞ്ഞാറ്) ദിക്കിൽ ശിഖീ ചണ്ഡി പരമ ക്ഷേത്രരക്ഷകയായി വിരാജിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• पूजिता: worshipped
• पूजिता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूज् (धातु) + क्त (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle)

• स्तुता: praised
• स्तुता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्तु (धातु) + क्त (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle)

• मर्त्यैः: by mortals
• मर्त्यैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• क्षेत्रसिद्धिम्: success/attainment in the kṣetra
• क्षेत्रसिद्धिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक) + सिद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (क्षेत्रस्य सिद्धिः)

• प्रयच्छति: bestows
• प्रयच्छति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + यम् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• वायव्याम्: in the northwest (direction)
• वायव्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वायव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; दिक्/स्थानवाचक

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• शिखी: Śikhī (the crested one; name)
• शिखी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिखिन्/शिखी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• चंडी: Caṇḍī
• चंडी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चण्डी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• क्षेत्ररक्षाकरी: protector of the kṣetra
• क्षेत्ररक्षाकरी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक) + रक्षा (प्रातिपदिक) + कर (प्रातिपदिक) + ई (स्त्रीप्रत्यय)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (क्षेत्रस्य रक्षां करोति)

• परा: supreme
• परा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (vāyavya-Śikhī Caṇḍī; southern Mahālakṣmī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim assembly offers flowers and lamps; Mahālakṣmī receives stuti and grants ‘kṣetra-siddhi’ as a radiant boon, while in the north-west Śikhī Caṇḍī stands as a fierce sentinel, her presence forming a protective boundary around Kāśī.

Characters & Entities

• Mahālakṣmī
• Śikhī Caṇḍī
• Kāśī (Kṣetra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Stuti and pūjā offered with faith in Kāśī yield kṣetra-siddhi, supported by the kṣetra’s own protecting Śaktis.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī-kṣetra, especially its directional guardians (notably the north-western protectress Śikhī Caṇḍī).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Worship (pūjā) and praise (stuti) of the kṣetra-devī are indicated as the means to attain kṣetra-siddhi.