Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 33

Devanagari script

महिषासुरतीर्थं च तत्समीपेति पावनम् । यत्र तप्त्वा स दैत्येंद्रो विजिग्ये सकलान्सुरान्

Transliteration

mahiṣāsuratīrthaṃ ca tatsamīpeti pāvanam | yatra taptvā sa daityeṃdro vijigye sakalānsurān

Translation

Berdekatan terdapat Mahīṣāsura Tīrtha yang menyucikan. Di situlah raja para Dānava, setelah bertapa, menewaskan dan menaklukkan semua dewa.

Word by Word

• महिषासुरतीर्थम्: the Mahiṣāsura tīrtha
• महिषासुरतीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महिषासुर (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (neuter nom/acc sg)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• तत्: in that
• तत्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'समीपे' इत्यस्य विशेषण (in that)

• समीपे: nearby; in the vicinity
• समीपे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समीप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (प्रयोगभेद), सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन (locative singular)

• इति: thus (called)
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, इत्यादि-उद्धरण/नामनिर्देश (quotative particle: thus)

• पावनम्: purifying
• पावनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पावन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (neuter nom/acc sg)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, सम्बन्धबोधक स्थानवाचक (where)

• तप्त्वा: having done austerity
• तप्त्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having performed austerity)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन (pronoun; masc nom sg)

• दैत्येन्द्रः: the lord of the demons
• दैत्येन्द्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैत्य (प्रातिपदिक) + इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन (nominative singular)

• विजिग्ये: conquered
• विजिग्ये: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि+जि (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (3rd person singular)

• सकलान्: all
• सकलान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सकल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन (masc acc pl); 'सुरान्' इत्यस्य विशेषण

• सुरान्: the gods
• सुरान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन (accusative plural)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahīṣāsura Tīrtha

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dramatic flashback tableau: Mahīṣāsura (buffalo-demon form or daitya king aspect) performing fierce austerities near a sacred water-spot; devas shown in the distance subdued; the tīrtha itself glows as ‘pāvana’.

Characters & Entities

• Mahīṣāsura
• Mahīṣāsura Tīrtha
• devas (surāḥ)
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tapas performed at potent sacred sites is portrayed as extraordinarily efficacious—so powerful that even adversarial beings could gain immense might.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mahīṣāsura Tīrtha, a purifying tīrtha in the Kāśī region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed; the verse recalls austerity (tapas) performed there as a testimony to the place’s power.