Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

अनया मत्तपोवृत्ति साक्षिण्या बह्वनेहसम् । असेव्यहं तदेतस्यै वरयामि जगत्पतिम्

Transliteration

anayā mattapovṛtti sākṣiṇyā bahvanehasam | asevyahaṃ tadetasyai varayāmi jagatpatim

Translation

నా తపస్సు, ఆచరణ గమనానికి సాక్షిగా నిలిచిన, నిష్కామ ప్రయత్నాలతో సమృద్ధమైన ఈమెను సాక్షిగా చేసుకొని, ఆమెకోసం జగత్పతినే వరంగా ఎంచుకుంటాను.

Word by Word

• अनया: by this (woman)
• अनया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (pronoun: feminine instrumental singular)

• मत्त-पो-वृत्ति: this misguided ascetic conduct
• मत्त-पो-वृत्ति: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मत्त (प्रातिपदिक) + तपस् (प्रातिपदिक) + वृत्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (nominative singular; tatpuruṣa: 'conduct of intoxicated/errant austerity' i.e., misguided penance-behaviour)

• साक्षिण्या: as a witness/with witness
• साक्षिण्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: साक्षिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (instrumental singular)

• बहु-अनेहसम्: much hardship
• बहु-अनेहसम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक) + अनेहस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (accusative singular; karmadhāraya: 'having much trouble/effort')

• असेव्य: unworthy (to be served)
• असेव्य: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ + सेव् (धातु)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्यय (यत्/तव्यत्-भाव), नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (gerundive: 'not to be served/undeserving')

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा, एकवचन (1st person pronoun nominative singular)

• तत्: therefore
• तत्: Sambandha (Link/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: अव्यय (discourse particle: 'therefore/then')

• एतस्यै: for her
• एतस्यै: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचन (pronoun: feminine dative singular)

• वरयामि: I choose (as a boon)
• वरयामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद (present indicative, 1st person singular, active; denominative sense 'to choose as a boon')

• जगत्-पतिम्: the Lord of the world
• जगत्-पतिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक) + पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (accusative singular; tatpuruṣa: 'lord of the world')

Speaker

Śiva / Mahādeva (deduced from immediate context of addressing Tryakṣa in next verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Participants in the episode (not explicit)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee declares before Śiva that the witness of her austerities is the humble goat; she resolves to choose ‘Jagatpati’ as the boon for the animal—an extraordinary reversal of self-centered boon-seeking.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Jagatpati
• Sulakṣaṇā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Austerity joined with selfless intention becomes worthy of divine grace; the highest boon is union with the Supreme Lord.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative belongs to Kāśīkhaṇḍa (Kāśī), where divine boons and liberation-oriented gifts are portrayed as natural fruits of the sacred field.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual; tapas (austerity) and selfless effort are presented as the qualifying dharmic disciplines.