Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 77

Devanagari script

पितृकाननसंवासं शूलिनं च कपालिनम् । द्विजिह्वसंगसुभगं जलाधारं कपर्दिनम्

Transliteration

pitṛkānanasaṃvāsaṃ śūlinaṃ ca kapālinam | dvijihvasaṃgasubhagaṃ jalādhāraṃ kapardinam

Translation

मी त्याला ओळखले नाही—जो पितृकाननात वास करणारा, शूलधारी व कपालधारी; द्विजिह्व (सर्प) संगतीने शोभणारा, गंगाधर, जटाधारी प्रभू।

Word by Word

• पितृकाननसंवासम्: dwelling in the forest of the Pitṛs
• पितृकाननसंवासम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पितृ + कानन + संवास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (पितॄणां कानने संवासः यस्य/यः)

• शूलिनम्: trident-bearing
• शूलिनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शूलिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

• कपालिनम्: skull-bearing
• कपालिनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कपालिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• द्विजिह्वसंगसुभगम्: made splendid by the company of serpents (two-tongued ones)
• द्विजिह्वसंगसुभगम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वि + जिह्व + संग + सुभग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (द्विजिह्वानां संगः तेन सुभगः)

• जलाधारम्: support of waters
• जलाधारम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जल + आधार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (जलस्य आधारः)

• कपर्दिनम्: wearing matted hair (kaparda)
• कपर्दिनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कपर्दिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Dakṣa

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-śmaśāna (symbolic within Kāśī-kṣetra)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva as Śūlin and Kapālin, adorned with serpents, bearing Gaṅgā in his matted locks; backdrop evokes a ‘forest of the Fathers’—a cremation-ground grove with sacred stillness.

Characters & Entities

• Dakṣa
• Śiva
• Śūlin
• Kapālin
• Kapardin
• Gaṅgā (implied by jalādhāra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva sanctifies what the world fears—death, serpents, and ascetic austerity—turning them into signs of liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The imagery resonates with Kāśī’s śmaśāna (cremation-ground) spirituality, though no named tīrtha appears in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it lists Śiva’s ascetic and cosmic emblems.