Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 70

Devanagari script

एतत्स्तोत्रस्य कवचं परिधास्यति यो नरः । तस्य क्वचिद्भयं नास्ति वज्रपंजरगस्य हि

Transliteration

etatstotrasya kavacaṃ paridhāsyati yo naraḥ | tasya kvacidbhayaṃ nāsti vajrapaṃjaragasya hi

Translation

ഈ സ്തോത്രത്തെ കവചമായി ധരിക്കുന്ന മനുഷ്യന് എവിടെയും ഭയം ഉണ്ടാകില്ല; അവൻ വജ്രപഞ്ജരത്തിൽ അടഞ്ഞവനെപ്പോലെ ആയിരിക്കും.

Word by Word

• etat: of this
• etat: Sambandha (Genitive qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन = Neuter genitive singular (pronoun)

• stotrasya: of the hymn
• stotrasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: stotra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन = Neuter genitive singular

• kavacam: armor, protective covering
• kavacam: Karman (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kavaca (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन = Neuter accusative singular

• paridhāsyati: will put on, will wear
• paridhāsyati: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari + √dhā (धा)
• Form: लृट् (भविष्यत्/Future), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद = Future, 3rd person singular, parasmaipada

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन = Masculine nominative singular (relative pronoun)

• naraḥ: a man
• naraḥ: Karta (Apposition to yaḥ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन = Masculine nominative singular

• tasya: for him/of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन = Genitive singular (pronoun)

• kvacit: anywhere, ever
• kvacit: Adhikaraṇa (Adverbial location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kvacit (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (देश/काल) = Indeclinable adverb: 'anywhere/ever'

• bhayam: fear
• bhayam: Karta (Subject of nāsti)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन = Neuter nominative singular

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध) = Negation particle

• asti: is
• asti: Kriyā (Existential verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (अस्)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान/Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद = Present, 3rd person singular, parasmaipada

• vajrapaṃjaragasya: of the one with a thunderbolt-cage (i.e., protected by vajra-like armor)
• vajrapaṃjaragasya: Sambandha (Genitive; 'of the one having/connected with...')
• Type: Noun
• Root: vajra (प्रातिपदिक) + paṃjara (प्रातिपदिक) + ga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (वज्रस्य पंजरम्; तद्गः/तद्वान्) = Masculine genitive singular; tatpuruṣa (multi-member)

• hi: indeed, for
• hi: Hetu/Sambandha (Emphasis/Reason particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात; हेत्वर्थ/निश्चय) = Particle: 'indeed/for'

Speaker

Durgā (context continues from her speech)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: General audience (naraḥ) via the narrative; devas as immediate recipients

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee symbolically ‘wears’ the hymn as radiant armor; lightning-like vajra lattice forms a protective cage around him while Devi stands behind in abhaya mudrā.

Characters & Entities

• Durgā
• Vajra (symbolic)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual discipline becomes protection: internalizing the stotra as ‘kavaca’ yields steadiness and fearlessness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching is framed in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa milieu of Kāśī, a famed place for mantra, stotra, and protective worship.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

“Wear” the stotra as kavaca—i.e., recite, memorize, and ritually adopt it for protection.