Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 96

Devanagari script

अहं तेनोमया सार्धं दीक्षां संप्राप्य शांभवीम् । अर्चितः प्रत्यहं येन पूजिता णिकर्णिका

Transliteration

ahaṃ tenomayā sārdhaṃ dīkṣāṃ saṃprāpya śāṃbhavīm | arcitaḥ pratyahaṃ yena pūjitā ṇikarṇikā

Translation

ഉമയോടൊപ്പം ശാംഭവീ ദീക്ഷ പ്രാപിച്ച് അവൻ എന്നെ പ്രതിദിനം അർച്ചിക്കുന്നു; അവനാൽ മണികർണികയും പൂജിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു.

Word by Word

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; प्रथमा (1st) एकवचनम्

• तेन: with him
• तेन: Sahakari (Associate/सहकारी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे तृतीया (3rd) एकवचनम्; सहार्थे/करणे (with him)

• उमया: with Umā
• उमया: Sahakari (Associate/सहकारी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उमा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे तृतीया (3rd) एकवचनम्; सहार्थे (with Umā)

• सार्धम्: together with
• सार्धम्: Sambandha/Modifier (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सार्धम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; सहार्थक अव्ययम् (indeclinable meaning ‘together with’)

• दीक्षाम्: initiation
• दीक्षाम्: Karma/Patient (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दीक्षा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd) एकवचनम्; कर्म (object)

• संप्राप्य: having obtained
• संप्राप्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + प्र + आप् (धातु) → संप्राप्य (क्त्वान्त-कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्तः (gerund/absolutive) ‘having attained’

• शांभवीम्: Śāmbhavī (pertaining to Śambhu)
• शांभवीम्: Karma/Patient (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शाम्भवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd) एकवचनम्; दीक्षाम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• अर्चितः: worshipped
• अर्चितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अर्च् (धातु) → अर्चित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्तः (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त); पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st) एकवचनम्; अहम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• प्रत्यहम्: every day
• प्रत्यहम्: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रति + अहन् (अव्ययीभाव-समास)
• Form: अव्ययम्; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषणम् (adverb of time)

• येन: by whom
• येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे तृतीया (3rd) एकवचनम्; करणम् (instrumental/agent in passive)

• पूजिता: worshipped
• पूजिता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूज् (धातु) → पूजित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्तः (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त); स्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st) एकवचनम्

• मणिकर्णिका: Maṇikarṇikā
• मणिकर्णिका: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मणिकर्णिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st) एकवचनम्; विशेष्य (qualified by पूजिता)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue convention)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Maṇikarṇikā

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Implied interlocutor within Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva speaking in first person, seated with Umā, bestowing Śāmbhavī dīkṣā; below, a devotee performs daily worship and salutes Maṇikarṇikā, linking initiation with tīrtha-sevā.

Characters & Entities

• Umā
• Śāmbhavī dīkṣā
• Maṇikarṇikā
• Skanda (implicit ‘I’)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steady daily worship combined with Śaiva orientation (dīkṣā) is celebrated as ideal devotion at Kāśī’s sacred locus.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Maṇikarṇikā in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śāmbhavī dīkṣā (initiation) is referenced, along with pratyaha (daily) arcana/pūjā.