Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 55

Devanagari script

प्राच्यां मृडानि परिपाहि सदा नतान्नो याम्यामव प्रतिपदं विपदो भवानि । प्रत्यग्दिशि त्रिपुरतापन पत्नि रक्ष त्वं पाह्युदीचि निजभक्तजनान्महेशि

Transliteration

prācyāṃ mṛḍāni paripāhi sadā natānno yāmyāmava pratipadaṃ vipado bhavāni | pratyagdiśi tripuratāpana patni rakṣa tvaṃ pāhyudīci nijabhaktajanānmaheśi

Translation

О кроткая Богиня, на востоке всегда храни нас, преклоняющихся перед Тобой. О Бхавани, на юге спасай нас на каждом шагу от бедствий. На западе, о супруга Трипуратāpаны, оберегай нас. И на севере также, о Махеши, защити своих преданных.

Word by Word

• prācyām: in the east
• prācyām: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prācī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• mṛḍāni: the gracious ones/benedictions (mṛḍāni)
• mṛḍāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mṛḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• paripāhi: protect
• paripāhi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari√pā (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• sadā: always
• sadā: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (adverb of time)

• natān: those who bow
• natān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nata (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √nam + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘bowed ones’

• naḥ: of us/our
• naḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (enclitic)

• yāmyām: in the south
• yāmyām: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yāmya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (direction: south)

• ava: down/away (as a particle)
• ava: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ava (अव्यय/उपसर्ग)
• Form: अव्यय; उपसर्गार्थक/निपात (down/away; here intensifier with implied verb)

• pratipadam: at every step
• pratipadam: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pratipada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (at every step/constantly)

• vipadaḥ: calamities
• vipadaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• bhavāni: O Bhavānī
• bhavāni: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhavānī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• pratyak-diśi: in the west
• pratyak-diśi: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pratyak (अव्यय/दिक्शब्द-पूर्वपद) + diś (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (pratyak-diś = ‘western direction’)

• tripura-tāpana: O burner of Tripura (Śiva)
• tripura-tāpana: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tripura (प्रातिपदिक) + tāpana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (tāpana = ‘burner/destroyer’)

• patni: O consort
• patni: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: patnī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• rakṣa: protect
• rakṣa: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √rakṣ (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार, मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• pāhi: protect
• pāhi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √pā (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार, मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• udīci: in the north
• udīci: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: udīcī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (direction: north)

• nija-bhakta-janān: your own devotee-people
• nija-bhakta-janān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nija (प्रातिपदिक) + bhakta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √bhaj + क्त) + jana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष (nija-bhakta) + तत्पुरुष (bhakta-jana)

• maheśi: O Maheśī
• maheśi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maheśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa context commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (as protected mandala)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī stands at the center of a sacred mandala, extending protection to the four directions; devotees bow as luminous guardianship spreads east, south, west, and north over Kāśī.

Characters & Entities

• Bhavānī (Devī/Pārvatī)
• Maheśī
• Tripurātāpana (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Surrender (namana) to Devī and trusting her all-directional guardianship: the devotee seeks protection from dangers in every quarter and at every step.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse belongs to the Kāśīkhaṇḍa (Kāśī-kṣetra Māhātmya), situating Devī’s protective power within the sacred geography and salvific aura of Kāśī (Vārāṇasī).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit dāna/snānā/vrata is stated; it functions as a directional protective stuti (prayer) suitable for japa or recitation when entering, residing in, or circumambulating the Kāśī sacred space.