Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

वंद्यस्त्रिलोकसुंदर्या याम्यां यो मां समर्चयेत् । काश्यां ख्यातं त्रिभुवनकेशवं न स गर्भभाक्

Transliteration

vaṃdyastrilokasuṃdaryā yāmyāṃ yo māṃ samarcayet | kāśyāṃ khyātaṃ tribhuvanakeśavaṃ na sa garbhabhāk

Translation

جو شخص کاشی کے مشہور تری بھون کیشو کے دھام میں، جنوبی سمت میں، میری—جسے تری لوک سندری بھی سجدہ کرتی ہے—بھکتی سے پوجا کرے، وہ پھر رحمِ مادر میں داخل نہیں ہوتا، یعنی جنم مرن سے آزاد ہو جاتا ہے۔

Word by Word

• वन्द्यः: worthy of worship
• वन्द्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वन्द्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (Masculine nominative singular; adjective)

• त्रिलोकसुन्दर्याः: of (the) beauty of the three worlds
• त्रिलोकसुन्दर्याः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि (प्रातिपदिक) + लोक (प्रातिपदिक) + सुन्दरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; समासः—त्रिलोकस्य सुन्दरी (Genitive singular; ‘beauty of the three worlds’)

• याम्याम्: in the southern (direction/quarter)
• याम्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: याम्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Locative singular)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• माम्: me
• माम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Accusative singular)

• समर्चयेत्: should worship
• समर्चयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (should worship)

• काश्याम्: in Kāśī
• काश्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Locative singular)

• ख्यातम्: renowned, known
• ख्यातम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ख्या (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (past passive participle; neuter sg)

• त्रिभुवनकेशवम्: Keśava of the three worlds
• त्रिभुवनकेशवम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि (प्रातिपदिक) + भुवन (प्रातिपदिक) + केशव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—त्रिभुवनस्य केशवः (Accusative singular)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negative particle)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Nominative singular)

• गर्भभाक्: subject to rebirth (womb-bound)
• गर्भभाक्: Visheshana (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गर्भ (प्रातिपदिक) + भाज् (धातु; भाक्-रूप)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—गर्भं भजते/गर्भस्य भागी (one who partakes of womb/rebirth)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Tribhuvana-Keśava (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrims/seekers in the Kāśī-māhātmya narrative frame (traditionally sages/Śaiva-Vaiṣṇava audience)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A southern Kāśī shrine of Tribhuvana-Keśava: the deity radiant, worshipped by a devotee; in the background, the personified Trilokasundarī (Tripurasundarī) shown offering reverence, emphasizing the deity’s universal veneration; subtle संकेत of liberation (broken fetters, lotus path).

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Tribhuvana-Keśava
• Trilokasundarī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Single-pointed worship of the Lord in Kāśī is praised as a direct cause of liberation from rebirth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The renowned shrine of Tribhuvana-Keśava in Kāśī, associated with worship in the southern quarter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Samarcana—formal devotional worship of the deity (pūjā/arcana) at the stated Kāśī shrine.