Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

तां काशीं प्राप्य वृत्रारे वृत्रहत्यापनुत्तये । समाराधय विश्वेशं विश्वमुक्तिप्रदायकम्

Transliteration

tāṃ kāśīṃ prāpya vṛtrāre vṛtrahatyāpanuttaye | samārādhaya viśveśaṃ viśvamuktipradāyakam

Translation

เมื่อไปถึงกาสีนั้นแล้ว ข้าแต่ศัตรูแห่งวฤตระ เพื่อขจัดบาปจากการสังหารวฤตระ จงบูชาพระวิศเวศวร ผู้ประทานความหลุดพ้นแก่โลกเถิด

Word by Word

• ताम्: that (her)
• ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• काशीम्: Kāśī
• काशीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्राप्य: having reached
• प्राप्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive), ‘having attained’

• वृत्रारे: O enemy of Vṛtra (Indra)
• वृत्रारे: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृत्रारि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—वृत्रस्य अरिः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• वृत्रहत्यापनुत्तये: for the removal of the sin of killing Vṛtra
• वृत्रहत्यापनुत्तये: Sampradana (Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृत्रहत्या + अपनुत्ति (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative/4th), एकवचन; समासः—वृत्रहत्यायाः अपनुत्तये (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• समाराधय: worship/propitiate
• समाराधय: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + राध् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• विश्वेशम्: Viśveśa (Lord of the universe)
• विश्वेशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्वेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—विश्वस्य ईशः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• विश्वमुक्तिप्रदायकम्: the giver of liberation to the world
• विश्वमुक्तिप्रदायकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विश्व + मुक्ति + प्रदायक (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘विश्वेशम्’विशेषणम्; समासः—विश्वस्य मुक्तिः तां प्रददाति इति (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/उपपद)

Speaker

Bṛhaspati

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Viśveśa at Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Indra (Vṛtrāri)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Indra, bearing the weight of Vṛtra-hatyā, arrives at Kāśī; he offers flowers and water to the Viśveśa-liṅga while sages witness; the liṅga radiates liberation-light over the Gaṅgā ghāṭas.

Characters & Entities

• Indra (Vṛtrāri)
• Kāśī
• Viśveśa (Śiva)
• Vṛtra
• Vṛtrahatyā
• Mukti

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True expiation culminates in devotion to Śiva in the sacred kṣetra, where grace transforms even heavy karma into liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī, as the proper place to worship Viśveśa for purification and mokṣa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

To worship (samārādhaya) Viśveśa after reaching Kāśī, specifically as an act of expiation.