Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 70

Devanagari script

एतत्स्तोत्रस्य कवचं परिधास्यति यो नरः । तस्य क्वचिद्भयं नास्ति वज्रपंजरगस्य हि

Transliteration

etatstotrasya kavacaṃ paridhāsyati yo naraḥ | tasya kvacidbhayaṃ nāsti vajrapaṃjaragasya hi

Translation

Quem vestir este hino como couraça protetora—não terá medo em lugar algum, pois se torna como alguém encerrado numa jaula de raio (vajra).

Word by Word

• etat: of this
• etat: Sambandha (Genitive qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन = Neuter genitive singular (pronoun)

• stotrasya: of the hymn
• stotrasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: stotra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन = Neuter genitive singular

• kavacam: armor, protective covering
• kavacam: Karman (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kavaca (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन = Neuter accusative singular

• paridhāsyati: will put on, will wear
• paridhāsyati: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari + √dhā (धा)
• Form: लृट् (भविष्यत्/Future), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद = Future, 3rd person singular, parasmaipada

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन = Masculine nominative singular (relative pronoun)

• naraḥ: a man
• naraḥ: Karta (Apposition to yaḥ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन = Masculine nominative singular

• tasya: for him/of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन = Genitive singular (pronoun)

• kvacit: anywhere, ever
• kvacit: Adhikaraṇa (Adverbial location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kvacit (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (देश/काल) = Indeclinable adverb: 'anywhere/ever'

• bhayam: fear
• bhayam: Karta (Subject of nāsti)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन = Neuter nominative singular

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध) = Negation particle

• asti: is
• asti: Kriyā (Existential verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (अस्)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान/Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद = Present, 3rd person singular, parasmaipada

• vajrapaṃjaragasya: of the one with a thunderbolt-cage (i.e., protected by vajra-like armor)
• vajrapaṃjaragasya: Sambandha (Genitive; 'of the one having/connected with...')
• Type: Noun
• Root: vajra (प्रातिपदिक) + paṃjara (प्रातिपदिक) + ga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (वज्रस्य पंजरम्; तद्गः/तद्वान्) = Masculine genitive singular; tatpuruṣa (multi-member)

• hi: indeed, for
• hi: Hetu/Sambandha (Emphasis/Reason particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात; हेत्वर्थ/निश्चय) = Particle: 'indeed/for'

Speaker

Durgā (context continues from her speech)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: General audience (naraḥ) via the narrative; devas as immediate recipients

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee symbolically ‘wears’ the hymn as radiant armor; lightning-like vajra lattice forms a protective cage around him while Devi stands behind in abhaya mudrā.

Characters & Entities

• Durgā
• Vajra (symbolic)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual discipline becomes protection: internalizing the stotra as ‘kavaca’ yields steadiness and fearlessness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching is framed in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa milieu of Kāśī, a famed place for mantra, stotra, and protective worship.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

“Wear” the stotra as kavaca—i.e., recite, memorize, and ritually adopt it for protection.