Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 55

Devanagari script

प्राच्यां मृडानि परिपाहि सदा नतान्नो याम्यामव प्रतिपदं विपदो भवानि । प्रत्यग्दिशि त्रिपुरतापन पत्नि रक्ष त्वं पाह्युदीचि निजभक्तजनान्महेशि

Transliteration

prācyāṃ mṛḍāni paripāhi sadā natānno yāmyāmava pratipadaṃ vipado bhavāni | pratyagdiśi tripuratāpana patni rakṣa tvaṃ pāhyudīci nijabhaktajanānmaheśi

Translation

ഹേ മൃഡാനീ! കിഴക്കുദിക്കിൽ സദാ നമിക്കുന്ന ഞങ്ങളെ കാത്തുകൊള്ളേണമേ. ഹേ ഭവാനീ! തെക്കുദിക്കിൽ ഓരോ പടിയിലും വിപത്തുകളിൽ നിന്ന് രക്ഷിക്കേണമേ. ഹേ ത്രിപുരതാപനപത്നീ! പടിഞ്ഞാറുദിക്കിൽ ഞങ്ങളെ കാക്കേണമേ. ഹേ മഹേശീ! വടക്കുദിക്കിലും നിന്റെ ഭക്തജനങ്ങളെ സംരക്ഷിക്കേണമേ.

Word by Word

• prācyām: in the east
• prācyām: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prācī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• mṛḍāni: the gracious ones/benedictions (mṛḍāni)
• mṛḍāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mṛḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• paripāhi: protect
• paripāhi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari√pā (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• sadā: always
• sadā: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (adverb of time)

• natān: those who bow
• natān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nata (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √nam + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘bowed ones’

• naḥ: of us/our
• naḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (enclitic)

• yāmyām: in the south
• yāmyām: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yāmya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (direction: south)

• ava: down/away (as a particle)
• ava: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ava (अव्यय/उपसर्ग)
• Form: अव्यय; उपसर्गार्थक/निपात (down/away; here intensifier with implied verb)

• pratipadam: at every step
• pratipadam: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pratipada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (at every step/constantly)

• vipadaḥ: calamities
• vipadaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• bhavāni: O Bhavānī
• bhavāni: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhavānī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• pratyak-diśi: in the west
• pratyak-diśi: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pratyak (अव्यय/दिक्शब्द-पूर्वपद) + diś (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (pratyak-diś = ‘western direction’)

• tripura-tāpana: O burner of Tripura (Śiva)
• tripura-tāpana: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tripura (प्रातिपदिक) + tāpana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (tāpana = ‘burner/destroyer’)

• patni: O consort
• patni: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: patnī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• rakṣa: protect
• rakṣa: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √rakṣ (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार, मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• pāhi: protect
• pāhi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √pā (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार, मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• udīci: in the north
• udīci: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: udīcī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (direction: north)

• nija-bhakta-janān: your own devotee-people
• nija-bhakta-janān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nija (प्रातिपदिक) + bhakta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √bhaj + क्त) + jana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष (nija-bhakta) + तत्पुरुष (bhakta-jana)

• maheśi: O Maheśī
• maheśi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maheśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa context commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (as protected mandala)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī stands at the center of a sacred mandala, extending protection to the four directions; devotees bow as luminous guardianship spreads east, south, west, and north over Kāśī.

Characters & Entities

• Bhavānī (Devī/Pārvatī)
• Maheśī
• Tripurātāpana (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Surrender (namana) to Devī and trusting her all-directional guardianship: the devotee seeks protection from dangers in every quarter and at every step.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse belongs to the Kāśīkhaṇḍa (Kāśī-kṣetra Māhātmya), situating Devī’s protective power within the sacred geography and salvific aura of Kāśī (Vārāṇasī).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit dāna/snānā/vrata is stated; it functions as a directional protective stuti (prayer) suitable for japa or recitation when entering, residing in, or circumambulating the Kāśī sacred space.