Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

विष्णोरायतनं नैव कृतं सर्वसमृद्धिदम् । न च सूर्यगणेशानां प्रतिमाः कारिता मया

Transliteration

viṣṇorāyatanaṃ naiva kṛtaṃ sarvasamṛddhidam | na ca sūryagaṇeśānāṃ pratimāḥ kāritā mayā

Translation

Aku sama sekali tidak membina āyatana, iaitu tempat suci bagi Viṣṇu, pemberi segala kemakmuran. Dan aku juga tidak menyuruh dibuat pratima (arca) bagi Sūrya dan Gaṇeśa.

Word by Word

• viṣṇoḥ: of Viṣṇu
• viṣṇoḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• āyatanam: shrine/temple
• āyatanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āyatana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• eva: indeed/at all
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• kṛtam: made
• kṛtam: Karma (Predicate/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'made'

• sarvasamṛddhidam: bestowing all prosperity
• sarvasamṛddhidam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + samṛddhi (प्रातिपदिक) + da (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वां समृद्धिं ददाति इति (bestower of all prosperity)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय

• sūryagaṇeśānām: of Sūrya and Gaṇeśa
• sūryagaṇeśānām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūrya (प्रातिपदिक) + gaṇeśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (of Sūrya and Gaṇeśa)

• pratimāḥ: images/idols
• pratimāḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pratimā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• kāritāḥ: caused to be made
• kāritāḥ: Karma (Predicate/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (णिच्-प्रेरणार्थक + क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; causative past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; 'caused to be made'

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (multi-devatā worship)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic Kāśī street-temple scene: a Viṣṇu shrine with tulasī, a small Sūrya niche with rays, and a Gaṇeśa shrine at a doorway; the devotee laments not having built them.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Sūrya
• Gaṇeśa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Supporting public worship—through temples and icons—brings prosperity and religious uplift; neglecting it is a missed dharmic opportunity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the textual setting, but the verse emphasizes pan-Hindu temple merit rather than a single named tirtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Constructing āyatanas (shrines) and commissioning pratimās (icons) for worship.