Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

काशिराजसुता जाता सुन्दरीनाम विश्रुता । पूर्वाभ्यासाच्च कल्याणी बभूव परमा सती

Transliteration

kāśirājasutā jātā sundarīnāma viśrutā | pūrvābhyāsācca kalyāṇī babhūva paramā satī

Translation

അവൾ കാശീരാജന്റെ പുത്രിയായി ജനിച്ചു ‘സുന്ദരി’ എന്ന നാമത്തിൽ പ്രസിദ്ധയായി. പൂർവാഭ്യാസത്തിന്റെ പ്രഭാവത്താൽ ആ കല്യാണി പരമസതിയായി വിരാജിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• काशिराजसुता: the daughter of the king of Kāśī
• काशिराजसुता: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशिराज + सुता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (Kāśī-king's daughter), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• जाता: was born
• जाता: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु) → जात (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्तः (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘जाता’ = born

• सुन्दरी: Sundarī (name)
• सुन्दरी: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुन्दरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नामरूपेण व्यक्तिः

• नाम: by name
• नाम: विशेषण-निर्देशक (Naming particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: नाम-प्रयोगे अव्यय (quotative/‘by name’)

• विश्रुता: well-known, renowned
• विश्रुता: कर्ता-विशेषण (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + श्रु (धातु) → विश्रुत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्त-विशेषण (past passive participle used adjectivally), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सुन्दरी इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्

• पूर्वाभ्यासात्: from prior practice
• पूर्वाभ्यासात्: हेतु (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्व + अभ्यास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-प्रायः (‘previous practice’), पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: समुच्चय (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• कल्याणी: auspicious, virtuous
• कल्याणी: कर्ता-विशेषण (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कल्याणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सती/सा इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्

• बभूव: became
• बभूव: क्रिया (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• परमा: supreme, highest
• परमा: कर्ता-विशेषण (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सती इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्

• सती: Satī / a chaste woman
• सती: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘सती’ (virtuous woman/Satī)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa/Sūta (deduced: Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narration style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Internal audience of the khāṇḍa’s dialogue frame (unspecified here)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A noble birth scene in Kāśī: the royal palace near the Gaṅgā, the infant named Sundarī, with subtle signs of innate devotion—Śiva symbols, calm gaze, auspicious omens.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Kāśīrāja
• Sundarī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Past devotional impressions (pūrvābhyāsa) carry forward, shaping a virtuous life and continued Śiva-oriented dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) is invoked as a sacred royal birthplace, reinforcing its purāṇic sanctity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; the verse highlights continuity of merit and virtue across births.