Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

क्षेत्रपूर्वोत्तरेभागे तद्दृष्टं पशुपाशहृत् । तत्पश्चाद्विग्रहवती पूज्या वाराणसी नरैः

Transliteration

kṣetrapūrvottarebhāge taddṛṣṭaṃ paśupāśahṛt | tatpaścādvigrahavatī pūjyā vārāṇasī naraiḥ

Translation

ക്ഷേത്രത്തിന്റെ ഈശാന (വടക്കുകിഴക്ക്) ഭാഗത്ത് ‘പശുപാശഹൃത്’ എന്ന പുണ്യദർശനം ഉണ്ട്; അത് ജീവികളുടെ ബന്ധനം അകറ്റുന്നു. അതിന് ശേഷം ‘വിഗ്രഹവതി’ ദേവി പൂജ്യ; ഇങ്ങനെ വാരണാസിയെ ജനങ്ങൾ ആരാധിക്കണം.

Word by Word

• क्षेत्रपूर्वोत्तरेभागे: in the northeastern part of the sacred area
• क्षेत्रपूर्वोत्तरेभागे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र + पूर्व + उत्तर + भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; समासः—क्षेत्रस्य पूर्वोत्तरभागे (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष; पूर्व+उत्तर = द्वन्द्व-आभासः, समस्तपदेन भाग-विशेषणम्)

• तत्-दृष्टम्: seen there / that which is seen
• तत्-दृष्टम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + √दृश् (धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) ‘दृष्ट’

• पशुपाशहृत्: remover of the bonds of creatures
• पशुपाशहृत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पशु + पाश + √हृ (धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—पशूनां पाशान् हरति इति (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष); ‘हृत्’ = agent-noun (क्विप्/कृत्-प्रत्यय)

• तत्-पश्चात्: after that
• तत्-पश्चात्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + पश्चात् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb) — ‘thereafter/behind that’

• विग्रहवती: having a form (embodied)
• विग्रहवती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विग्रहवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘-वत्’ प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण

• पूज्या: worthy of worship
• पूज्या: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √पूज् (धातु)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive) ‘to be worshipped’

• वाराणसी: Vārāṇasī
• वाराणसी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाराणसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• नरैः: by men
• नरैः: Karana (Instrument/Agent in passive sense/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Paśupāśahṛt; Vigrahavatī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A mapped Kāśī-kṣetra with the NE corner highlighted; a shrine labeled Paśupāśahṛt radiates a cutting light that snaps symbolic chains around devotees; beyond it stands Vigrahavatī, a revered feminine/śakti-form shrine receiving offerings.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī-kṣetra
• Paśupāśahṛt
• Vigrahavatī
• Vārāṇasī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Darśana in Kāśī is transformative: sacred sites are presented as liberating forces that cut the inner fetters (pāśa) binding the soul.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Paśupāśahṛt in the northeastern sector of Kāśī-kṣetra, and the subsequent shrine/site named Vigrahavatī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Worship (pūjā) of Vārāṇasī through reverence to its tīrthas is implied; no detailed ritual steps are specified.