Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

अनया मत्तपोवृत्ति साक्षिण्या बह्वनेहसम् । असेव्यहं तदेतस्यै वरयामि जगत्पतिम्

Transliteration

anayā mattapovṛtti sākṣiṇyā bahvanehasam | asevyahaṃ tadetasyai varayāmi jagatpatim

Translation

اسی کو گواہ بنا کر—جس نے میری تپسیا اور سلوک کی راہ دیکھی ہے اور جو بےغرض کوششوں سے بھرپور ہے—میں اسی کے لیے جگت پتی پروردگار کو بطورِ ور چنتا ہوں۔

Word by Word

• अनया: by this (woman)
• अनया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (pronoun: feminine instrumental singular)

• मत्त-पो-वृत्ति: this misguided ascetic conduct
• मत्त-पो-वृत्ति: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मत्त (प्रातिपदिक) + तपस् (प्रातिपदिक) + वृत्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (nominative singular; tatpuruṣa: 'conduct of intoxicated/errant austerity' i.e., misguided penance-behaviour)

• साक्षिण्या: as a witness/with witness
• साक्षिण्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: साक्षिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (instrumental singular)

• बहु-अनेहसम्: much hardship
• बहु-अनेहसम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक) + अनेहस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (accusative singular; karmadhāraya: 'having much trouble/effort')

• असेव्य: unworthy (to be served)
• असेव्य: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ + सेव् (धातु)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्यय (यत्/तव्यत्-भाव), नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (gerundive: 'not to be served/undeserving')

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा, एकवचन (1st person pronoun nominative singular)

• तत्: therefore
• तत्: Sambandha (Link/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: अव्यय (discourse particle: 'therefore/then')

• एतस्यै: for her
• एतस्यै: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचन (pronoun: feminine dative singular)

• वरयामि: I choose (as a boon)
• वरयामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद (present indicative, 1st person singular, active; denominative sense 'to choose as a boon')

• जगत्-पतिम्: the Lord of the world
• जगत्-पतिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक) + पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (accusative singular; tatpuruṣa: 'lord of the world')

Speaker

Śiva / Mahādeva (deduced from immediate context of addressing Tryakṣa in next verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Participants in the episode (not explicit)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee declares before Śiva that the witness of her austerities is the humble goat; she resolves to choose ‘Jagatpati’ as the boon for the animal—an extraordinary reversal of self-centered boon-seeking.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Jagatpati
• Sulakṣaṇā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Austerity joined with selfless intention becomes worthy of divine grace; the highest boon is union with the Supreme Lord.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative belongs to Kāśīkhaṇḍa (Kāśī), where divine boons and liberation-oriented gifts are portrayed as natural fruits of the sacred field.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual; tapas (austerity) and selfless effort are presented as the qualifying dharmic disciplines.