Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 72

Devanagari script

वाराणसीं च केदारं किं स्मरंति वृथैव ते । तत्राराध्य भवं देवं भवान्नन्दीति नामभृत्

Transliteration

vārāṇasīṃ ca kedāraṃ kiṃ smaraṃti vṛthaiva te | tatrārādhya bhavaṃ devaṃ bhavānnandīti nāmabhṛt

Translation

അവർ വ്യർത്ഥമായി വാരാണസിയെയും കേടാരത്തെയും എന്തിന് സ്മരിക്കുന്നു? അവിടെ ഭവദേവനായ ശിവനെ ആരാധിച്ചതിനാൽ അവൻ ‘ഭവാന്നന്ദി’ എന്ന നാമത്തിൽ പ്രസിദ്ധനായി.

Word by Word

• vārāṇasīm: Vārāṇasī
• vārāṇasīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vārāṇasī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• kedāram: Kedāra
• kedāram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kedāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म

• kim: why/what
• kim: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative particle: why/what)

• smaranti: they remember
• smaranti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: smṛ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• vṛthā: in vain
• vṛthā: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vṛthā (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb: in vain)

• eva: indeed/only
• eva: Nipata (Emphasis/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic particle: indeed/only)

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; कर्ता (they)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: there)

• ārādhya: having worshipped
• ārādhya: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: rādh (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप्/क्त्वान्त-समकक्ष (gerund), ‘ā-√rādh’ = having worshipped/propitiated

• bhavam: Bhava (Śiva)
• bhavam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म; ‘भव’ = शिव

• devam: the god
• devam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म; ‘bhavam’ इत्यस्य विशेषण

• bhavān-nandī: (one) named ‘Bhavān-Nandī’
• bhavān-nandī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhavān (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + nandī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्मधारय/नामधारक-प्रयोगः (भवान् एव नन्दी)

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker/उद्धरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/इति-समाप्ति-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• nāma-bhṛt: bearing the name
• nāma-bhṛt: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक) + bhṛ (धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष; ‘नाम’ उपपद + √भृ (भृञ् धारणे) कृत्-प्रत्यय (क्विप्) = ‘bearing the name’

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A teacher gestures toward a Śiva shrine on Arbuda, admonishing pilgrims who keep speaking of Kāśī and Kedāra; Śiva as Bhava is worshiped, and a devotee receives the honorific name ‘Bhavān-nandī’.

Characters & Entities

• Vārāṇasī (Kāśī)
• Kedāra
• Bhava (Śiva)
• Bhavān-nandī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True remembrance of famous tīrthas is fulfilled by actual devotion and worship of Śiva, which grants lasting spiritual renown and merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The context glorifies Arbuda (Mount Abu/Arbudācala), while referencing Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) and Kedāra as celebrated comparanda.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Ārādhana (worship) of Bhava/Śiva—devotional worship at the sacred place.