Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 90

Devanagari script

पत्रैः शतसहस्रैश्च स समानर्च शंकरम् । पंचामृतैर्द्रोणमितैर्लक्षकृत्वः प्रयत्नतः

Transliteration

patraiḥ śatasahasraiśca sa samānarca śaṃkaram | paṃcāmṛtairdroṇamitairlakṣakṛtvaḥ prayatnataḥ

Translation

لاکھوں پتّوں سے اس نے شَنکر کی باقاعدہ اَर्चنا کی؛ اور دْرون کے پیمانے کے مطابق پنچامرت سے اَبھِشیک کرکے پروردگار کی تعظیم کی—بڑی کوشش کے ساتھ یہ عمل ایک لاکھ بار انجام دیا۔

Word by Word

• पत्रैः: with leaves
• पत्रैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण) विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Neuter, Instrumental, Plural)

• शतसहस्रैः: with hundreds and thousands (i.e., in vast numbers)
• शतसहस्रैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शत + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण) विभक्ति, बहुवचन; द्विगुसमास (संख्यापूर्वक) (Neuter, Instrumental, Plural; numerical compound)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (Masculine, Nominative, Singular; pronoun)

• सम्: fully, together (prefix)
• सम्: Sambandha (Preverb/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम् (उपसर्ग)
• Form: उपसर्ग (preverb) — अर्च धातोः सह (with the verb arc)

• आनर्च: worshipped
• आनर्च: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (अङ्ग-आगमयुक्तः) भूतकाल, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम् (Aorist/Past, 3rd person, Singular; Parasmaipada)

• शंकरम्: Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• शंकरम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शंकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

• पंचामृतैः: with pañcāmṛta (five nectars)
• पंचामृतैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च + अमृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण) विभक्ति, बहुवचन; द्विगुसमास (पञ्चानाम् अमृतानाम् समाहारः) (Neuter, Instrumental, Plural; 'five-nectars' compound)

• द्रोणमितैः: measured in droṇa measures
• द्रोणमितैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्रोण + मित (√मा धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय; कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण) विभक्ति, बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण; तत्पुरुष (द्रोणेन मितम्) (Neuter, Instrumental, Plural; past participle 'measured by droṇa')

• लक्षकृत्वः: a hundred-thousand times
• लक्षकृत्वः: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: लक्ष + कृत्वस् (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय, परिमाण/आवृत्तिवाचक (frequency adverb); तत्पुरुष (लक्षं कृत्वः = लक्षवारम्)

• प्रयत्नतः: with effort, diligently
• प्रयत्नतः: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रयत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय, तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (ablatival adverb) (adverb: 'with effort')

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A grand abhiṣeka: attendants pour pañcāmṛta in continuous streams over a Śiva-liṅga; mountains of leaves surround the altar; the devotee counts repetitions with focused intensity, lamps blazing and vessels lined up.

Characters & Entities

• Śaṅkara
• Śukra
• Pañcāmṛta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Extraordinary spiritual resolve—repetition, purity, and disciplined giving—constitutes a powerful form of Śiva-devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī, where intense arcana and abhiṣeka of Śaṅkara are depicted as supremely efficacious.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Leaf-offerings in vast number and pañcāmṛta abhiṣeka, repeated up to a lakh times with diligence.