Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

तेनार्च्यः करुणावृक्षो देवेशः प्रीयतामिति । यो वर्षं सोमवारस्य व्रतं कुर्यादिति द्विजः

Transliteration

tenārcyaḥ karuṇāvṛkṣo deveśaḥ prīyatāmiti | yo varṣaṃ somavārasya vrataṃ kuryāditi dvijaḥ

Translation

അവ തന്നെയുള്ള അർപ്പണങ്ങളാൽ കരുണാവൃക്ഷത്തെ അർച്ചിച്ച്—‘ദേവേശ്വരൻ പ്രസന്നനാകട്ടെ’ എന്നു പ്രാർത്ഥിക്കണം. ദ്വിജൻ പറയുന്നു—ആർ ഒരു വർഷം തിങ്കളാഴ്ച വ്രതം അനുഷ്ഠിക്കുമോ…

Word by Word

• तेन: by that/therefore
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; करण-निर्देश (by that/therefore)

• अर्च्यः: to be worshipped
• अर्च्यः: Karya (Predicate adjective/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अर्च् (धातु) → अर्च्य (कृदन्त, क्तव्यत्/यत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कर्तव्य/योग्यता-वाचक (gerundive: ‘to be worshipped’); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• करुणावृक्षः: the Karuṇā-tree
• करुणावृक्षः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: करुणा (प्रातिपदिक) + वृक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (करुणायाः वृक्षः); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• देवेशः: Lord of gods
• देवेशः: Apposition (Samānādhikaraṇa/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (देवानाम् ईशः); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• प्रीयताम्: may (he) be pleased
• प्रीयताम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्री (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative/benedictive sense), आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आज्ञार्थ/आशीर्वादार्थ

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/वाक्य-समाप्ति-निपात (quotative particle)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक-यः

• वर्षम्: for a year
• वर्षम्: Adhikarana (Temporal extent/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कालावधि (accusative of duration)

• सोमवारस्य: of Monday
• सोमवारस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोमवार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (of Monday)

• व्रतम्: vow/observance
• व्रतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• कुर्यात्: should perform
• कुर्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण-निपात (quotative)

• द्विजः: a twice-born (Brahmin)
• द्विजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Karuṇeśvara / Karuṇā-vṛkṣa (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred Karuṇā tree beside a small shrine; a brāhmaṇa instructs pilgrims; devotees circle the tree, offer leaves/fruits, and pray ‘Devēśaḥ prīyatām’.

Characters & Entities

• Karuṇā-vṛkṣa (sacred tree)
• Deveśa (Śiva)
• Somavāra-vrata

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion in Kāśī extends beyond the Liṅga to the sacred ecology around it; sustained vrata practice is framed as a powerful path of pleasing Śiva.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Karuṇeśvara complex, including the Karuṇā-vṛkṣa (sacred tree) associated with the site in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform worship of the Karuṇā tree with the prescribed offerings and observe a Somavāra (Monday) vow for a year (continued into the next verse).