Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 46

Devanagari script

पतत्त्रिणो पिमुच्यंते यं कुर्वाणाः प्रदक्षिणम् । स्वेच्छया विचरंतः खे खेचरा अपि देवताः

Transliteration

patattriṇo pimucyaṃte yaṃ kurvāṇāḥ pradakṣiṇam | svecchayā vicaraṃtaḥ khe khecarā api devatāḥ

Translation

അതിനെ പ്രദക്ഷിണം ചെയ്യുന്നവരാൽ പക്ഷികളും മോചിതരാകുന്നു; ആകാശത്തിൽ സഞ്ചരിക്കുന്ന ഖേചര ദേവതകളും അവിടെ സ്വേച്ഛയായി വിഹരിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• पतत्त्रिणः: birds
• पतत्त्रिणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पतत्त्रिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन (masculine nominative plural)

• पि: also
• पि: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-आदेश अव्यय (enclitic ‘also’)

• मुच्यन्ते: are freed, are released
• मुच्यन्ते: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग (present, 3rd plural, middle/passive: ‘are released’)

• यम्: whom/which
• यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (accusative singular relative pronoun)

• कुर्वाणाः: doing, performing
• कुर्वाणाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्यय वर्तमान कृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (masc nom pl)

• प्रदक्षिणम्: circumambulation (clockwise)
• प्रदक्षिणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्र + दक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत् कर्म (accusative of manner: ‘circumambulation’)

• स्वेच्छया: by their own will
• स्वेच्छया: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व + इच्छा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (स्वस्य इच्छा) (feminine instrumental singular)

• विचरन्तः: moving about, roaming
• विचरन्तः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + √चर् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्यय वर्तमान कृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (masc nom pl)

• खे: in the sky
• खे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन (neuter locative singular)

• खेचराः: sky-goers (celestial beings)
• खेचराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ख + चर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (खे चरन्ति इति) (masc nom pl)

• अपि: also, even
• अपि: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपेक्षाबोधक अव्यय (also/even)

• देवताः: deities
• देवताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन (feminine nominative plural; used generically for deities)

Speaker

Narrator/quoted description within Kāśīkhaṇḍa; context points to describing the Mokṣalakṣmīvilāsa prāsāda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mokṣalakṣmīvilāsa Prāsāda

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Winged beings and radiant devas circle a gleaming palace in clockwise motion; the sky is filled with graceful arcs of flight; below, lamps and banners mark a sacred perimeter path.

Characters & Entities

• Pradakṣiṇā (circumambulation)
• Khecarāḥ (sky-goers/deities)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Circumambulation (pradakṣiṇā) of a sanctified place/object is portrayed as liberating and attractive even to celestial beings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The passage continues the glorification of a revered structure in Kāśī (linked to the Mokṣalakṣmīvilāsa prāsāda).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pradakṣiṇā (clockwise circumambulation) is explicitly mentioned as a meritorious act.