Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

शार्ङ्गचापविनिर्मुक्त महेषुभिरितस्ततः । उत्सादयंतीं प्रत्यूहान्काश्यां नारायणीं श्रयेत्

Transliteration

śārṅgacāpavinirmukta maheṣubhiritastataḥ | utsādayaṃtīṃ pratyūhānkāśyāṃ nārāyaṇīṃ śrayet

Translation

Sa Kāśī, dapat sumilong sa Nārāyaṇī, na sa makapangyarihang mga palasong pinakawalan mula sa busog na Śārṅga ay winawasak ang mga hadlang sa lahat ng dako.

Word by Word

• śārṅga-cāpa-vinirmukta: released from the Śārṅga bow
• śārṅga-cāpa-vinirmukta: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śārṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + cāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + vinirmukta (कृदन्त; वि-निर्-√muc मुच्)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे द्वितीया-विभक्तिः एकवचनम्; कृदन्त-विशेषणम् (भूतकृदन्तः, क्त-प्रत्ययः) — Feminine Accusative Singular, past passive participle used adjectivally

• mahā-iṣubhiḥ: with great arrows
• mahā-iṣubhiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + iṣu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे तृतीया-विभक्तिः बहुवचनम् — Masculine Instrumental Plural

• itaḥ: from here
• itaḥ: Adhikaraṇa (Locative sense/अधिकरण-भाव)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: itaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; अव्यय-प्रकारः: अव्यय-प्रत्ययान्त/दिक्शब्द-निष्पन्नम्; अर्थे: ‘from here/there’ — Indeclinable adverb

• tataḥ: then/from there
• tataḥ: Adhikaraṇa (Temporal/अधिकरण-भाव)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; अव्यय-प्रकारः: दिक्शब्द-निष्पन्नम्; अर्थे: ‘then/from there’ — Indeclinable adverb

• utsādayantīm: destroying/overcoming
• utsādayantīm: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ut-√sad (सद्) + śatṛ (शतृ)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे द्वितीया-विभक्तिः एकवचनम्; वर्तमानकृदन्तः (शतृ) — Feminine Accusative Singular, present active participle

• pratyūhān: obstacles
• pratyūhān: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pratyūha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया-विभक्तिः बहुवचनम् — Masculine Accusative Plural

• kāśyām: in Kāśī
• kāśyām: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे सप्तमी-विभक्तिः एकवचनम् — Feminine Locative Singular

• nārāyaṇīm: Nārāyaṇī (the goddess)
• nārāyaṇīm: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārāyaṇī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे द्वितीया-विभक्तिः एकवचनम् — Feminine Accusative Singular

• śrayet: should resort to / take refuge in
• śrayet: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śri (श्रि)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम् — Optative, Active, 3rd person singular

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nārāyaṇī (Kāśī)

Type: temple

Visual Art Cues

Scene: In the lanes of Kāśī, Nārāyaṇī stands as a fierce-protective Vaiṣṇavī: Śārṅga-bow imagery implied, arrows radiating outward to shatter unseen obstacles around the devotee.

Characters & Entities

• Nārāyaṇī
• Śārṅga (bow)
• Kāśī
• Pratyūha (obstacles)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Taking śaraṇāgati (refuge) in the Devī at a sacred place is portrayed as a powerful means to overcome worldly and spiritual impediments.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Nārāyaṇī’s presence in Kāśī, described as an obstacle-destroying refuge.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śrayaṇa: the instruction is to ‘take refuge’ in Nārāyaṇī (devotional approach, prayer, worship).