Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 74

Devanagari script

धर्मेशदर्शनान्नित्यं तथाभूतः स दुर्दमः । बभूव दमिनां श्रेष्ठः प्रांते मोक्षं च लब्धवान्

Transliteration

dharmeśadarśanānnityaṃ tathābhūtaḥ sa durdamaḥ | babhūva damināṃ śreṣṭhaḥ prāṃte mokṣaṃ ca labdhavān

Translation

ധർമ്മേശന്റെ നിത്യദർശനത്താൽ ദുര്ദമൻ അങ്ങനെ തന്നെ പരിവർത്തിതനായി. അവൻ ദമികളിൽ ശ്രേഷ്ഠനായി, അവസാനം മോക്ഷവും പ്രാപിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• dharmeśadarśanāt: from seeing Dharmeśa
• dharmeśadarśanāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharmeśa-darśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास: धर्मेशस्य दर्शनम्; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन (Ablative): -āt (from/by the sight)

• nityam: always
• nityam: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb): नित्यं (always/constantly)

• tathābhūtaḥ: thus transformed
• tathābhūtaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tathā-bhūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास: तथा + भूत (so become); क्त (PPP) रूपेण, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Pronoun)

• durdamaḥ: hard to subdue
• durdamaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur-dama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास: दुर् + दम (hard to subdue); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• babhūva: became
• babhūva: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• daminām: of the self-controlled
• daminām: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: damin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन (Genitive): दमिनाम् (of the self-controlled)

• śreṣṭhaḥ: the best
• śreṣṭhaḥ: Karta (Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘श्रेष्ठ’ (best)

• prānte: at the end
• prānte: Adhikarana (Time/Place)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prānta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (Locative): प्रान्ते (at the end)

• mokṣam: liberation
• mokṣam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mokṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction): च (and)

• labdhavān: obtained
• labdhavān: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: labh (धातु)
• Form: कृत्-प्रत्यय: क्तवतु (past active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘लब्धवान्’ (having obtained)

Speaker

Skanda (narration context: Kāśīkhaṇḍa, typically Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmēśvara in Kāśī

Type: temple

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sequence-like image: repeated visits to Dharmēśvara—each time the devotee’s posture becomes calmer; finally he sits in deep composure, radiance around him, suggesting liberation at life’s end.

Characters & Entities

• Dharmēśa (Dharmēśvara)
• Durdama
• Mokṣa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Regular darśana of the Lord in a mokṣa-kṣetra cultivates dama (self-restraint) and culminates in liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmēśvara/Dharmēśa in Kāśī, whose darśana is credited with inner transformation and mokṣa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Nitya-darśana (regular/continual devotional visitation) of Dharmēśa is implied as a practice.