Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

कृत्वा संहारमार्गेण सप्रमाणं प्रदक्षिणाम् । हुडुंकृत्य हुडुंकृत्य हुडुंकृत्य त्रिरुच्चकैः

Transliteration

kṛtvā saṃhāramārgeṇa sapramāṇaṃ pradakṣiṇām | huḍuṃkṛtya huḍuṃkṛtya huḍuṃkṛtya triruccakaiḥ

Translation

संहार-मार्गाने प्रमाणयुक्त पूर्ण प्रदक्षिणा करून त्याने मोठ्या आवाजात ‘हुडुं’ असा नाद पुन्हा पुन्हा केला—तीनदा।

Word by Word

• कृत्वा: having done
• कृत्वा: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial to main action/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund), धातु: कृ; अर्थे: ‘having done’

• संहारमार्गेण: by the path/method of dissolution
• संहारमार्गेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संहार-मार्ग (प्रातिपदिक; संहार + मार्ग)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), एकवचन; समास: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (‘संहारस्य मार्गः’)

• सप्रमाणम्: with proper measure
• सप्रमाणम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स-प्रमाण (प्रातिपदिक; स + प्रमाण)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘प्रमाणयुक्तम्’ (with proper measure)

• प्रदक्षिणाम्: circumambulation
• प्रदक्षिणाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रदक्षिणा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• हुडुंकृत्य: having uttered “huḍuṃ”
• हुडुंकृत्य: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हुडुं-कृ (धातु; अनुकरणशब्द ‘हुडुं’ + कृ)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive), ‘हुडुं’ इति शब्दं कृत्वा/उच्चार्य

• हुडुंकृत्य: having uttered “huḍuṃ” (again)
• हुडुंकृत्य: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हुडुं-कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त; पुनरुक्ति (repetition)

• हुडुंकृत्य: having uttered “huḍuṃ” (thrice)
• हुडुंकृत्य: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हुडुं-कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त; पुनरुक्ति (third time)

• त्रिः: thrice
• त्रिः: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: त्रिः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; संख्यावाचक-क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of frequency)

• उच्चकैः: aloud, loudly
• उच्चकैः: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उच्चकैः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Kāśīkhaṇḍa context: Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra pradakṣiṇā (saṃhāra-mārga)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee/ascetic completes a full circumambulation along a marked ritual path in Kāśī, then raises his voice thrice with a forceful ‘huḍuṃ’ cry, the city’s shrines and lamps framing the circuit.

Characters & Entities

• Pradakṣiṇā (circumambulation)
• Saṃhāra-mārga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Circumambulation and heartfelt vocal devotion together express total surrender—body, speech, and mind offered to Śiva.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The act is performed near a liṅga in the Kāśī narrative setting; no separate tīrtha name is specified in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Performing a complete pradakṣiṇā in a prescribed manner (here termed saṃhāra-mārga), accompanied by loud devotional utterances.