Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 87

Devanagari script

वसिष्ठवामदेवौ च मूर्तिरूपधरावुभौ । द्रष्टव्यौ यत्नतः काश्यां महाविघ्नविनाशिनौ

Transliteration

vasiṣṭhavāmadevau ca mūrtirūpadharāvubhau | draṣṭavyau yatnataḥ kāśyāṃ mahāvighnavināśinau

Translation

வசிஷ்டரும் வாமதேவரும்—இருவரும் உருவமூர்த்தியாக—காசியில் முயற்சியுடன் தரிசிக்கத் தக்கவர்கள்; அவர்கள் பெரும் தடைகளை அழிப்பவர்கள்.

Word by Word

• वसिष्ठवामदेवौ: Vasiṣṭha and Vāmadeva
• वसिष्ठवामदेवौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसिष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक) + वामदेव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन (Dual)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction/particle)

• मूर्ति: form
• मूर्ति: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूर्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); समासपूर्वपद (in compound)

• रूपधरौ: bearing a form/appearance
• रूपधरौ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रूप (प्रातिपदिक) + धर (धातु √धृ, कर्तृप्रत्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन (Dual); रूपं धरतीति (षष्ठी/कर्मधारय-प्रायः)

• उभौ: both
• उभौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उभ (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन (Dual)

• द्रष्टव्यौ: to be seen; should be visited
• द्रष्टव्यौ: Vidhi (Obligation/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √दृश् (धातु) + तव्यत् (कृत्प्रत्यय)
• Form: तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (gerundive/obligatory), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन (Dual)

• यत्नतः: with effort; carefully
• यत्नतः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (adverb)

• काश्यां: in Kāśī
• काश्यां: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• महाविघ्नविनाशिनौ: destroyers of great obstacles
• महाविघ्नविनाशिनौ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मह (प्रातिपदिक) + विघ्न (प्रातिपदिक) + विनाशिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन (Dual); महाविघ्नान् विनाशयतीति (उपपद-तत्पुरुष)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (ṛṣi-darśana: Vasiṣṭha, Vāmadeva)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim in Kāśī approaches two serene ṛṣis—Vasiṣṭha and Vāmadeva—shown as embodied sages seated near a shrine, blessing the devotee; the city’s ghāṭs and liṅgas appear in the background as a sacred map.

Characters & Entities

• Vasiṣṭha
• Vāmadeva
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī sanctifies not only deities but also ṛṣis; honoring realized sages is portrayed as a powerful means to clear major impediments on the path.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The embodied presences/shrines of the sages Vasiṣṭha and Vāmadeva within Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Diligent darśana (yatnataḥ) of these two sacred presences for the destruction of ‘mahā-vighna’ (great obstacles).