Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 80

Devanagari script

पर्वतेशं ततो दृष्ट्वा गंगाकेशवमप्यथ । ततस्तु ललितां दृष्ट्वा जरासंधेश्वरं ततः

Transliteration

parvateśaṃ tato dṛṣṭvā gaṃgākeśavamapyatha | tatastu lalitāṃ dṛṣṭvā jarāsaṃdheśvaraṃ tataḥ

Translation

പിന്നെ പർവതേശ്വരന്റെ ദർശനം ചെയ്ത് ഗംഗാകേശവന്റെയും ദർശനം ചെയ്യണം। തുടർന്ന് ലലിതാദേവിയെ ദർശിച്ച് ശേഷം ജരാസന്ധേശ്വരനിലേക്കു പോകണം।

Word by Word

• पर्वतेशम्: Parvateśa
• पर्वतेशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर्वत (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (पर्वतस्य ईशः)

• ततः: then/thereafter
• ततः: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रम/अनन्तर्य-बोधक)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund); धातु: दृश्

• गङ्गाकेशवम्: Gaṅgā and Keśava (as a combined shrine)
• गङ्गाकेशवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक) + केशव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; द्वन्द्व-समास (गङ्गा + केशव) (समाहार/एकवद्भाव-प्रयोग)

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

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अनन्तर्य-बोधक)

• ततः: thereafter
• ततः: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रम/अनन्तर्य-बोधक)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (विरोध/विशेषणार्थक-अवधारण)

• ललिताम्: Lalitā
• ललिताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ललिता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund); धातु: दृश्

• जरासन्धेश्वरम्: Jarāsandheśvara
• जरासन्धेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जरासन्ध (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (जरासन्धस्य ईश्वरः)

• ततः: then
• ततः: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रम/अनन्तर्य-बोधक)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Parvateśa; Gaṅgā-Keśava; Lalitā; Jarāsandheśvara (nodes within Antargṛha-yātrā)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim traverses narrow lanes and ghats, pausing at four distinct shrines: a mountain-associated Śiva (Parvateśa), a Viṣṇu image by the river (Gaṅgā-Keśava), a radiant Devī (Lalitā), and a liṅga shrine named Jarāsandheśvara with epic motifs subtly hinted (royal insignia).

Characters & Entities

• Parvateśa
• Gaṅgā-Keśava
• Lalitā
• Jarāsandheśvara
• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s holiness is a unified sacred landscape where Śiva, Viṣṇu, and Devī are honored through a single yātrā.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Parvateśa, Gaṅgā-Keśava, Lalitā, and Jarāsandheśvara—key stations in the Kāśī circuit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A sequential darśana order: Parvateśa → Gaṅgā-Keśava → Lalitā → Jarāsandheśvara.