Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 59

Devanagari script

यं कदर्पो वीक्षमाणः समानं देवैरन्यैर्भस्मजातः स्वयं हि । पौष्पैर्बाणैः सर्वविश्वैकजेता को वा स्तुत्यः कामजेतुस्ततोन्यः

Transliteration

yaṃ kadarpo vīkṣamāṇaḥ samānaṃ devairanyairbhasmajātaḥ svayaṃ hi | pauṣpairbāṇaiḥ sarvaviśvaikajetā ko vā stutyaḥ kāmajetustatonyaḥ

Translation

เมื่อกามเทพเห็นพระองค์ว่าเสมอด้วยเทพอื่น ๆ แล้วเพ่งมอง กามเทพเองกลับกลายเป็นเถ้าธุลี แม้กามเทพจะพิชิตโลกด้วยศรดอกไม้—ผู้ใดเล่าควรสรรเสริญยิ่งไปกว่าพระผู้พิชิตกามนั้น

Word by Word

• yam: whom
• yam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• kadarpaḥ: Kāma (Cupid)
• kadarpaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kadarpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• vīkṣamāṇaḥ: while looking at
• vīkṣamāṇaḥ: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √īkṣ (धातु) + vi- (उपसर्ग) (वर्तमान-कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमान-कालिक कर्तरि शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• samānam: equal (to him)
• samānam: Karma (Object-complement/कर्मपूरक)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: samāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (यम् इति सर्वनामस्य)

• devaiḥ: by/with the gods
• devaiḥ: Sahakāraka (Association/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/सह), बहुवचन

• anyaiḥ: other
• anyaiḥ: Sahakāraka (Association/सह)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (देवैः)

• bhasma-jātaḥ: reduced to ashes
• bhasma-jātaḥ: Karta (Subject-predicate/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhasma (प्रातिपदिक) + jāta (√jan, क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (भस्म + जात); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि क्त-प्रत्यय (जात = उत्पन्न/भूत)

• svayam: himself
• svayam: Modifier (Emphasis/विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: svayam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; आत्मवाचक-क्रियाविशेषण

• hi: indeed
• hi: Discourse particle (Nipāta/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (हेतु/निश्चयार्थ)

• pauṣpaiḥ: flower (made of flowers)
• pauṣpaiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṣpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (बाणैः)

• bāṇaiḥ: with arrows
• bāṇaiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• sarva-viśva-eka-jetā: the sole conqueror of the whole world
• sarva-viśva-eka-jetā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + viśva (प्रातिपदिक) + eka (प्रातिपदिक) + jetṛ (√ji, तृ-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: बहुपद-तत्पुरुष-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; jetā = कर्तृवाचक (विजेता)

• kaḥ: who
• kaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम

• vā: indeed/then (or)
• vā: Discourse particle (Option/विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक निपात

• stutyaḥ: worthy of praise
• stutyaḥ: Predicate (Qualificand/विशेष्य-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: stutya (√stu, यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त/विशेषण)
• Form: कृदन्त-विशेषण; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘स्तोतव्य/प्रशंसनीय’ अर्थे

• kāma-jetuḥ: the conqueror of Kāma
• kāma-jetuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāma (प्रातिपदिक) + jetṛ (√ji, तृ-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कामस्य जेताः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• tataḥ: than that/thereafter
• tataḥ: Modifier (Comparison/तुलना)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तस्मात्-अर्थे (अपादान/तुलनार्थ)

• anyaḥ: another
• anyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Satyavatī’s son (Vyāsa) in stotra to Śiva (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Viśvanātha (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrims/devotees of Kāśī (implicit)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kāma with floral bow aims at meditating Śiva; Śiva’s third eye opens; Kāma is reduced to ash; devas witness in awe; background suggests Kāśī’s sanctity with ghāṭs and liṅga iconography.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Kāma (Kandarpa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Mastery over desire is divine; Śiva as Kāmajit embodies transcendence of passion and the power of inner austerity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī, as the setting of Viśvanātha’s praise; the mythic reference is Kāmadahana.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the implied dharma is restraint (indriya-nigraha) and devotion.