Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

तीर्थांतराणि च ततः क्रमवर्जितोपि संसाधयन्निह भवत्करुणाकटाक्षैः । दूरीकृतस्वहितघात्युपसर्गवर्गो ढुंढे लभेदविकलं फलमत्र काश्याम्

Transliteration

tīrthāṃtarāṇi ca tataḥ kramavarjitopi saṃsādhayanniha bhavatkaruṇākaṭākṣaiḥ | dūrīkṛtasvahitaghātyupasargavargo ḍhuṃḍhe labhedavikalaṃ phalamatra kāśyām

Translation

பின்னர், பிற தீர்த்தங்களின் அனுஷ்டானங்களை விதிக்கப்பட்ட வரிசையின்றியும் இங்கே செய்தாலும், ஆண்டவனின் கருணைக் கடாட்சத்தால் தன் நலனை அழிக்கும் தடைகளின் கூட்டம் அகல்கிறது; மேலும் காசியில் உள்ள ஢ும்஢ே தலத்தில் முழுமையான, குறையற்ற பலனைப் பெறுவான்.

Word by Word

• tīrtha-antarāṇi: other pilgrimage-places
• tīrtha-antarāṇi: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक) + antara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (तीर्थान्तराणि)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha/Connector
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय

• tataḥ: thereafter
• tataḥ: Temporal/Source adjunct
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अपादान/क्रमबोधक-अव्यय (thereafter/from that)

• krama-varjitaḥ: devoid of proper sequence
• krama-varjitaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: krama (प्रातिपदिक) + varjita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त) ‘वर्ज्’—वर्जितः; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (क्रमेण वर्जितः)

• api: even though
• api: Concessive marker
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अपि—सम्भावना/अपवादबोधक-अव्यय (even/though)

• saṃsādhayan: accomplishing/performing
• saṃsādhayan: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam + sādh (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ) परस्मैपद; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘सम्+साध्’—संसाधयन्

• iha: here
• iha: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय

• bhavat-karuṇā-kaṭākṣaiḥ: by your compassionate glances
• bhavat-karuṇā-kaṭākṣaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhavat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + karuṇā (प्रातिपदिक) + kaṭākṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (भवतः करुणाकटाक्षैः)

• dūrī-kṛta-sva-hita-ghāti-upasarga-vargaḥ: whose group of obstacles that harm one’s welfare has been driven far away
• dūrī-kṛta-sva-hita-ghāti-upasarga-vargaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dūrī (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + kṛta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) + sva (प्रातिपदिक) + hita (प्रातिपदिक) + ghātin (प्रातिपदिक) + upasarga (प्रातिपदिक) + varga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः; ‘दूरीकृत’ (क्त, कृ) + ‘स्वहितघाति’ (कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष) + ‘उपसर्गवर्गः’ (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष); समस्तं विशेषणम्

• ḍhuṃḍhe: O Ḍhuṃḍhi
• ḍhuṃḍhe: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ḍhuṃḍhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

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

• avikalam: unimpaired/complete
• avikalam: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-vikala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (फलम्)

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

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (here)

• kāśyām: in Kāśī
• kāśyām: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ḍhuṃḍhe (Ḍhuṃḍhivināyaka)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage-inquirer (frame interlocutor not explicit in verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim, having attempted various tīrtha rites out of sequence, stands before Ḍhuṃḍhivināyaka in Kāśī; a soft divine ‘glance’ (karuṇā-kaṭākṣa) descends, dispersing dark clouds of obstacles.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Ḍhuṃḍha (tīrtha/shrine)
• Īśvara/Śiva (implied as the recipient of address)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is uniquely compassionate: by the Lord’s grace, even imperfectly ordered tīrtha-practices yield complete merit, and obstacles that harm one’s true welfare are removed.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ḍhuṃḍha in Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) is praised as a place where the pilgrim receives the full, undiminished fruit of sacred observance.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse alludes to accomplishing tīrtha-related observances (tīrthāntara-sādhana); it emphasizes that even if done without the proper sequence (krama), Kāśī grants the complete result through divine grace.