Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

तत्तीर्थसेवकोद्यापि नारिभिः परिभूयते । न पातकैर्महद्भिश्च प्रार्थितं च फलं लभेत्

Transliteration

tattīrthasevakodyāpi nāribhiḥ paribhūyate | na pātakairmahadbhiśca prārthitaṃ ca phalaṃ labhet

Translation

அத் தீர்த்தத்தைச் சேவிப்பவன் பெண்களால் இகழப்பட்டாலும், அவன் மகாபாதகங்களால் மாசுபடான்; அவன் வேண்டிய பலனையும் நிச்சயமாக அடைவான்.

Word by Word

• tat: that
• tat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; सर्वनाम-विशेषण (that)

• tīrtha-sevakaḥ: a servant/attendant of the tīrtha
• tīrtha-sevakaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक) + sevaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (tīrthasya sevakaḥ)

• udyāpi: even, though
• udyāpi: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle) — ‘even/though’ (पूर्वपद-सम्बन्धेन ‘udy-’ इति संधि-रूपम्)

• nārībhiḥ: by women
• nārībhiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन

• paribhūyate: is insulted/treated with contempt
• paribhūyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari√bhū (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोगः (passive)

• na: not
• na: Nishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपात (negation)

• pātakaiḥ: by sins
• pātakaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pātaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन

• mahadbhiḥ: great
• mahadbhiḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (pātakaiḥ इति विशेष्यस्य)

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

• prārthitam: desired, requested
• prārthitam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra√arth (धातु) + ta (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; ‘requested/desired’

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

• phalam: fruit, result
• phalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• labhet: would obtain
• labhet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √labh (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A humble tīrtha-servant at a Kāśī ghat continues sweeping and offering water to pilgrims while a group of women mock or slight him; above, an unseen aura of Śiva’s protection surrounds him, and a subtle boon-symbol (a blossoming lotus) indicates fulfilled prayer.

Characters & Entities

• Mahīṣāsura Tīrtha (context)
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion to a sacred tīrtha is presented as spiritually protective: worldly humiliation does not diminish the pilgrim’s merit or divine favor.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse continues the praise of the immediately preceding tīrtha-context (Mahīṣāsura Tīrtha and its vicinity).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tīrtha-sevā (regular attendance, reverent service, observance) and prayer for a desired phala.