Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

सर्वविघ्रोपहंत्री च कर्तव्या क्षेत्रवासिभिः । शैलेशं प्रथमं वीक्ष्य वरणास्नानपूर्वकम्

Transliteration

sarvavighropahaṃtrī ca kartavyā kṣetravāsibhiḥ | śaileśaṃ prathamaṃ vīkṣya varaṇāsnānapūrvakam

Translation

क्षेत्रवासिभिः सर्वविघ्नोपहन्त्रीयं विधिः कर्तव्यः—प्रथमं वरणास्नानपूर्वकं शैलेशं सम्यग्द्रष्टव्यम्।

Word by Word

• सर्व: all
• सर्व: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (neuter, nominative/accusative, singular; adjectival)

• विघ्न: of obstacles
• विघ्न: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vighna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन (masculine, genitive, plural) — समासाङ्ग (compound member)

• उप: away/near (as prefix)
• उप: Upasarga (Preverb/उपसर्ग)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: upa (उपसर्ग)
• Form: उपसर्ग (preverb/particle)

• हन्त्री: destroyer/remover
• हन्त्री: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: han (धातु) + tṛ (कृत् प्रत्यय) → hantrī (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तृन्-प्रत्ययान्त कर्तृवाचक (feminine, nominative, singular; agent noun)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक निपात (conjunction)

• कर्तव्या: should be done/observed
• कर्तव्या: Vidhi (Obligation predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛ (धातु) + tavya (कृत् प्रत्यय) → kartavyā (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त विधेय/कर्तव्य (feminine, nominative, singular; gerundive/ought to be done)

• क्षेत्रवासिभिः: by the residents of the sacred area
• क्षेत्रवासिभिः: Kartr̥ (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक) + vāsin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (kṣetrasya vāsin) (masculine, instrumental, plural)

• शैलेशम्: Śaileśa (Lord of the mountain)
• शैलेशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaila (प्रातिपदिक) + īśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (śailasya īśaḥ) (masculine, accusative, singular)

• प्रथमम्: first
• प्रथमम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prathama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण नपुंसक-द्वितीया-एकवचन (adverbial accusative: ‘first’)

• वीक्ष्य: having seen
• वीक्ष्य: Pūrvakāla (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vīkṣ (धातु) + ल्यप् → vīkṣya (क्त्वान्त/ल्यबन्त अव्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• वरण: of Varaṇā (Varuṇā river)
• वरण: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन — समासाङ्ग (compound member)

• स्नान: of bathing
• स्नान: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन — समासाङ्ग (compound member)

• पूर्वकम्: preceded by (the bath in Varuṇā)
• पूर्वकम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrvaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावसमास; क्रियाविशेषण (adverbial: ‘preceded by …’) नपुंसक, द्वितीया, एकवचन (adverbial accusative)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Varaṇā-snāna and Śaileśa-darśana (Kāśī)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim community at dawn approaches the gentle Varaṇā waters for snāna; after purification they walk in a line toward a hill-associated shrine of Śaileśa, carrying lotuses and water-pots, with Kāśī’s skyline and temple spires behind.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (kṣetra)
• Varaṇā (river)
• Śaileśa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In Kāśī, dharma is practiced through ordered tīrtha-bathing and Śiva-darśana, which removes obstacles to spiritual progress.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Varaṇā river (for snāna) and the Śaileśa shrine (for darśana) within the Kāśī-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform Varaṇā-snāna first, then take darśana of Śaileśa as the opening act of the yātrā.