Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

अजिनांबरदिग्वासः स्वर्धुनी क्लिन्नमौलिज । विरूपाक्षाहिनेपथ्य गृणन्नामावलीमिमाम्

Transliteration

ajināṃbaradigvāsaḥ svardhunī klinnamaulija | virūpākṣāhinepathya gṛṇannāmāvalīmimām

Translation

ทรงนุ่งห่มหนังสัตว์ และให้ทิศทั้งหลายเป็นอาภรณ์ มีมวยผมชฎาเปียกชื้นด้วยสวรรค์ธารา (คงคา); ผู้มีเนตรอันหาที่เปรียบมิได้ ประดับด้วยนาค—ดังนี้พึงสวดมาลาแห่งพระนามนี้

Word by Word

• अजिनाम्बरदिग्वासः: one clothed in hide, garment, and the quarters (sky-clad)
• अजिनाम्बरदिग्वासः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अजिन-अम्बर-दिक्-वासस् (प्रातिपदिक; अजिन + अम्बर + दिक् + वासस्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; समाहार-द्वन्द्व/बहुपद-समासः—‘अजिनं च अम्बरं च दिशश्च वासः’ इति (अर्थतः: अजिनाम्बरं दिशो वा वासः)

• स्वर्धुनी: Svargā river (Gaṅgā)
• स्वर्धुनी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्धुनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; गङ्गानाम

• क्लिन्नमौलिज: O one whose crest is wet (by Gaṅgā)
• क्लिन्नमौलिज: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्लिन्न-मौलि-ज (प्रातिपदिक; क्लिन्न + मौलि + ज)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः—‘क्लिन्ना मौलिः यस्य’ इत्यर्थे बहुव्रीह्यर्थ-प्रयोगः; ‘-ज’ (जन्/ज) प्रत्ययान्तः ‘सम्भूत/युक्त’

• विरूपाक्ष: O Virūpākṣa (odd/unique-eyed)
• विरूपाक्ष: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विरूप-अक्ष (प्रातिपदिक; विरूप + अक्ष)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः

• अहिनेपथ्य: O one whose attire/ornament is a serpent
• अहिनेपथ्य: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहि-नेपथ्य (प्रातिपदिक; अहि + नेपथ्य)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (अहिनः नेपथ्यम् = सर्प-आभरण/वेष)

• गृणन्: praising/reciting
• गृणन्: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गृ (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (शतृ), परस्मैपदी; प्रथमा, एकवचन, पुंलिङ्ग; ‘स्तुवन्/कीर्तयन्’

• नामावलीम्: a garland/list of names
• नामावलीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाम-आवली (प्रातिपदिक; नामन् + आवली)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (नाम्नाम् आवली)

• इमाम्: this
• इमाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (नामावलीम्)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā in Kāśī / Kāśī-kṣetra

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva as the archetypal digambara ascetic: skin-garment, directions as clothing, jaṭā wet with Gaṅgā, serpents as adornment, the striking third eye; a devotee chants a nāmāvali with rosary near the river.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Gaṅgā (Svardhunī)
• Kāśī (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Contemplating Śiva’s sacred form supports focused recitation of His names and steadies devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the overarching sacred geography of the chapter; Gaṅgā is invoked as Śiva’s heavenly river.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Recitation of a nāmāvalī (garland of divine names), supported by meditative visualization of Śiva.