Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

देवताः समधिष्ठात्र्यः क्षेत्रस्यास्य परा इमाः । आराधिताः प्रयच्छंति नृभ्यो नैःश्रेयसीं श्रियम्

Transliteration

devatāḥ samadhiṣṭhātryaḥ kṣetrasyāsya parā imāḥ | ārādhitāḥ prayacchaṃti nṛbhyo naiḥśreyasīṃ śriyam

Translation

ਇਹ ਉੱਚੇ ਦੇਵਤਾ ਇਸ ਪਵਿੱਤਰ ਖੇਤਰ ਦੇ ਅਧਿਸ਼ਠਾਤਾ ਹਨ। ਜਦੋਂ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦੀ ਆਰਾਧਨਾ ਕੀਤੀ ਜਾਵੇ, ਤਾਂ ਉਹ ਮਨੁੱਖਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਪਰਮ-ਕਲਿਆਣ ਵੱਲ ਲੈ ਜਾਣ ਵਾਲੀ ਮੰਗਲਮਈ ਸ਼੍ਰੀ ਬਖ਼ਸ਼ਦੇ ਹਨ।

Word by Word

• देवताः: deities
• देवताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• समधिष्ठात्र्यः: presiding (goddesses)
• समधिष्ठात्र्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सम्-√अधि-स्था (धातु) + तृ (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त (तृ-प्रत्ययान्त agent noun), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; ‘समधिष्ठात्री’ = presiding/overseeing

• क्षेत्रस्य: of the sacred field
• क्षेत्रस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन

• अस्य: of this
• अस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• पराः: supreme
• पराः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; गुणवाचक

• इमाः: these
• इमाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• आराधिताः: worshipped
• आराधिताः: Hetu/Condition (Cause/condition)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ-√राध् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; ‘when worshipped’

• प्रयच्छन्ति: grant / bestow
• प्रयच्छन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-√यम् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन

• नृभ्यः: to men / to people
• नृभ्यः: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4), बहुवचन

• नैःश्रेयसीम्: leading to the highest good
• नैःश्रेयसीम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निःश्रेयस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; ‘ultimate-good’ qualifying śriyam

• श्रियम्: prosperity / auspicious fortune
• श्रियम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta) presiding deities of the kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ring of luminous adhiṣṭhātrī-devatās hovering above their respective liṅga-shrines in Kāśī, extending boons to pilgrims with folded hands.

Characters & Entities

• Presiding deities of the kṣetra
• Kāśī/Avimukta (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places function through presiding divine powers; sincere worship in Kāśī yields both auspicious well-being and the trajectory toward ultimate liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī as a kṣetra governed by exalted presiding deities (kṣetra-devatās), in the context of the fourteen principal liṅgas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Ārādhana (propitiatory worship) of the presiding deities/liṅgas is recommended as the means to obtain naiḥśreyasī śrī.