Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

तया चरणचारिण्या राज्ञ्या त्रिभुवनेशितुः । अपि तत्पावनं वर्त्म मेनेति कठिनं बहु

Transliteration

tayā caraṇacāriṇyā rājñyā tribhuvaneśituḥ | api tatpāvanaṃ vartma meneti kaṭhinaṃ bahu

Translation

Ratu itu, yang berjalan dengan kaki sendiri, menganggap bahkan jalan yang menyucikan milik Tuhan penguasa tiga alam itu amatlah sukar.

Word by Word

• तया: by her
• तया: Karta/Agent (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन

• चरणचारिण्या: by the one who moves on foot
• चरणचारिण्या: Karta/Agent (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चरणचारिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (चरणेषु चारिणी); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• राज्ञ्या: by the queen
• राज्ञ्या: Karta/Agent (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राज्ञी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• त्रिभुवनेशितुः: of the lord of the three worlds
• त्रिभुवनेशितुः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि + भुवन + ईशितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (त्रिभुवनस्य ईशितृ); पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• अपि: even
• अपि: Particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अपि-अर्थ (even/also)

• तत्पावनम्: that purifying (path)
• तत्पावनम्: Karman (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तत् (सर्वनाम) + पावन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (तत् पावनम् = तस्य पावनम्/that-purifying); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• वर्त्म: path/route
• वर्त्म: Karman (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्त्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• मेने: she thought/considered
• मेने: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मन् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• इति: thus
• इति: Vākyārtha-dyotaka (इत्यादि)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/वाक्यसमाप्ति-निपात (quotative particle)

• कठिनम्: difficult
• कठिनम्: Karman (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कठिन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• बहु: very/much
• बहु: Karman (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; परिमाणवाचक-विशेषण

Speaker

Narrator (deduced: Skanda to Agastya in Kāśīkhaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (approach to Viśveśvara/Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Audience of the Kāśī-māhātmya discourse (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A queen, dust on her feet, walking with attendants yet choosing to go on foot toward a Śiva shrine; the road glows subtly as ‘pāvana-vartman’, but her face shows strain and resolve.

Characters & Entities

• Tribhuvaneśitṛ (Śiva)
• Rājñī (queen)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even a holy path can feel hard when devotion and humility are weakened; inner disposition determines the ease of pilgrimage.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within Kāśī-oriented māhātmya narration, highlighting the purifying power of routes connected to Śiva’s domain.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual; the emphasis is on the pilgrim’s mode (on foot) and the sanctity of the path.