Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

नमस्ते पुंडरीकाक्ष दनुजेंद्र निषूदिने । नमो गोपालरूपाय वेणुवादनकारिणे

Transliteration

namaste puṃḍarīkākṣa danujeṃdra niṣūdine | namo gopālarūpāya veṇuvādanakāriṇe

Translation

Sembah sujud kepada-Mu, wahai Tuhan bermata teratai, pembinasa raja-raja asura. Sembah sujud kepada-Mu yang menjelma sebagai Gopāla, Penggembala Ilahi, yang mengalunkan seruling suci.

Word by Word

• नमः: salutation; homage
• नमः: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधन-प्रयोग)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; नमस्कारार्थक-निपात (salutatory particle)

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन (Singular)

• पुण्डरीकाक्ष: O lotus-eyed one
• पुण्डरीकाक्ष: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्डरीकाक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (Vocative/8th), एकवचन; समासः कर्मधारयः (पुण्डरीक-इव अक्षी यस्य)

• दनुजेन्द्र: O lord of the Danavas
• दनुजेन्द्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दनुज + इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (Vocative/8th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (दनुजानाम् इन्द्रः)

• निषूदिने: to the slayer/destroyer
• निषूदिने: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नि√सूद् (धातु) + इन् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्त (कर्तरि-णिनि/इनिन्-प्रत्ययान्त); पुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधन-प्रयोग)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; नमस्कारार्थक-निपात

• गोपालरूपाय: to the one whose form is the cowherd
• गोपालरूपाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोपाल + रूप (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग-समासान्त-प्रातिपदिक; चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (गोपालस्य रूपम्)

• वेणुवादनकारिणे: to the flute-player
• वेणुवादनकारिणे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेणु + वादन + कारिन् (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (वेणोः वादनं करोति इति)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta-kṣetra (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee in Kāśī offers namaskāra while envisioning Viṣṇu as lotus-eyed Kṛṣṇa: cowherd attire, peacock-feather crown, flute raised; behind him, subdued asura-kings symbolically recede.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Gopāla (Kṛṣṇa)
• Danujendra (demon-lords)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Single-pointed bhakti: remembering the Lord by His names and deeds purifies the heart and steadies dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader context is Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, where stuti and nāma-smaraṇa are praised as highly meritorious.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated; the implied practice is stuti/japa—salutation and name-recitation of the Lord.