Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 59

Devanagari script

ये त्वा स्मरंति सततं सहजप्रकाशां काशीपुरीस्थितिमतीं नतमोक्षलक्ष्मीम् । तान्संस्मरेत्स्मरहरो धृतशुद्धबुद्धीन्निर्वाणरक्षणविचक्षणपात्रभूतान्

Transliteration

ye tvā smaraṃti satataṃ sahajaprakāśāṃ kāśīpurīsthitimatīṃ natamokṣalakṣmīm | tānsaṃsmaretsmaraharo dhṛtaśuddhabuddhīnnirvāṇarakṣaṇavicakṣaṇapātrabhūtān

Translation

جو لوگ تمہیں ہمیشہ یاد کرتے ہیں—خود نورانی، کاشی پوری میں مقیم، اور سجدہ کرنے والوں کے لیے موکش کی لکشمی—انہیں سمَرہَر (کام کو جلانے والے شیو) بھی یاد کرتا ہے، پاکیزہ عقل والے، نروان کی حفاظت میں دانا، اور اہلِ ظرف بندے سمجھ کر۔

Word by Word

• ye: those who
• ye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• tvā: you
• tvā: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• smaranti: remember
• smaranti: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: smṛ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• satataṃ: always
• satataṃ: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: satata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• sahaja-prakāśām: naturally radiant
• sahaja-prakāśām: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sahaja (प्रातिपदिक) + prakāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• kāśī-purī-sthiti-matīm: abiding in the city of Kāśī
• kāśī-purī-sthiti-matīm: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kāśī (प्रातिपदिक) + purī (प्रातिपदिक) + sthiti (प्रातिपदिक) + mat (प्रातिपदिक/मतुप्)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; बहुपदसमास; विशेषण

• nata-mokṣa-lakṣmīm: the Lakṣmī of liberation for the bowed (devotees)
• nata-mokṣa-lakṣmīm: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nata (कृदन्त; √nam) + mokṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + lakṣmī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासपद

• tān: them
• tān: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• saṃsmaret: should remember
• saṃsmaret: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: smṛ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; उपसर्ग: सम्

• smara-haraḥ: Śiva, the destroyer of Smara
• smara-haraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: smara (प्रातिपदिक) + hara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; शिवपर्याय

• dhṛta-śuddha-buddhīn: having pure intellect
• dhṛta-śuddha-buddhīn: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhṛta (कृदन्त; √dhṛ) + śuddha (प्रातिपदिक) + buddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; विशेषण; (बुद्धि-शब्दः स्त्री, परन्तु समासे बहुवचन-विशेषणरूपेण)

• nirvāṇa-rakṣaṇa-vicakṣaṇa-pātra-bhūtān: become fit recipients, discerning in protecting liberation
• nirvāṇa-rakṣaṇa-vicakṣaṇa-pātra-bhūtān: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nirvāṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + rakṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + vicakṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + pātra (प्रातिपदिक) + bhūta (कृदन्त; √bhū)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; बहुपदसमास; विशेषण

Speaker

Narrator (contextual: Skanda in Kāśī Khaṇḍa discourse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee in Kāśī meditates on the self-effulgent Devī; above, Śiva as Smarahara turns his compassionate gaze toward the devotee, signifying reciprocal remembrance and protection of liberation.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Śiva (Smarahara)
• Maṅgalāgaurī
• Mokṣa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steady remembrance (smaraṇa) of the Kāśī-abiding Goddess purifies the mind, and Śiva reciprocally safeguards the devotee’s path to liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśīpurī (Varanasi), presented as a seat of mokṣa and divine presence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No external rite is mandated here; the practice emphasized is continuous remembrance and devotion (smaraṇa, praṇāma implied).