Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

महोदरेश्वरं दृष्ट्वा वाराणस्यां द्विजोत्तम । कदाचिदपि वै मातुः प्रविशेन्नौदरीं दरीम्

Transliteration

mahodareśvaraṃ dṛṣṭvā vārāṇasyāṃ dvijottama | kadācidapi vai mātuḥ praviśennaudarīṃ darīm

Translation

ਹੇ ਦ੍ਵਿਜੋਤ੍ਤਮ! ਵਾਰਾਣਸੀ ਵਿੱਚ ਮਹੋਦਰੇਸ਼ਵਰ ਦੇ ਦਰਸ਼ਨ ਕਰ ਲੈਣ ਤੋਂ ਬਾਅਦ ਮਨੁੱਖ ਕਦੇ ਵੀ ਮਾਤਾ ਦੀ ਗਰਭ-ਗੁਫ਼ਾ ਵਿੱਚ ਮੁੜ ਪ੍ਰਵੇਸ਼ ਨਾ ਕਰੇ, ਅਰਥਾਤ ਪੁਨਰਜਨਮ ਨਾ ਪਾਏ।

Word by Word

• महोदरेश्वरम्: Mahodareśvara
• महोदरेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महोदर-ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund), ‘having seen’

• वाराणस्याम्: in Vārāṇasī
• वाराणस्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाराणसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• द्विजोत्तम: O best of the twice-born
• द्विजोत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज-उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कदाचित्: at any time, ever
• कदाचित्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कदाचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb): ‘ever/at any time’

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha/Modifier (सम्बन्ध/विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), ‘even’

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha/Modifier (सम्बन्ध/विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• मातुः: of (one’s) mother
• मातुः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

• प्रविशेत्: should enter
• प्रविशेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + विश् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• औदरीम्: abdominal, of the belly
• औदरीम्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: औदरी (प्रातिपदिक; उदर-सम्बन्धिनी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् ‘दरीम्’ इत्यस्य

• दरीम्: cave, cleft
• दरीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahodareśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya (Kumbhaja) / addressed ‘dvijottama’ within the verse

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim-brāhmaṇa beholds Mahodareśvara in Kāśī; behind him, a symbolic dark cavern shaped like a womb recedes, signifying saṁsāra left behind; the shrine radiates calm release.

Characters & Entities

• Mahodareśvara
• Vārāṇasī (Kāśī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True encounter with the sacred in Kāśī is portrayed as a liberating grace that breaks the cycle of rebirth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mahodareśvara in Vārāṇasī (Kāśī).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Darśana (reverent viewing) of the Mahodareśvara liṅga is highlighted as spiritually transformative.