Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 82

Devanagari script

मत्स्योदरी यदा गंगा पश्चिमे कपिलेश्वरम् । समायाति महादेवि तदा योगः सुदुर्लभः

Transliteration

matsyodarī yadā gaṃgā paścime kapileśvaram | samāyāti mahādevi tadā yogaḥ sudurlabhaḥ

Translation

اے مہادیوی! جب متسیودری پر گنگا مغرب کی سمت کپیلیشور تک آتی ہے، تب ایک نہایت نایاب یوگ (روحانی ملاپ) واقع ہوتا ہے۔

Word by Word

• मत्स्योदरी: Matsyodarī (a place/name)
• मत्स्योदरी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मत्स्योदरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (मत्स्य-उदरी)

• यदा: when
• यदा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb/conjunction: 'when')

• गंगा: Gaṅgā (the Ganges)
• गंगा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• पश्चिमे: in the west / on the western side
• पश्चिमे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पश्चिम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; दिशावाचक-विशेषण (locative of direction)

• कपिलेश्वरम्: Kapileśvara (name of Śiva/linga)
• कपिलेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कपिल-ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (कपिलस्य ईश्वरः)

• समायाति: comes/arrives
• समायाति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• महादेवि: O Mahādevī
• महादेवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (महा-देवी)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb: 'then')

• योगः: yoga (spiritual union/practice)
• योगः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• सुदुर्लभः: very difficult to obtain
• सुदुर्लभः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु-दुर्लभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः/उपपद-समासः (सु + दुर्लभ)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; vocative ‘mahādevi’ indicates address within the narrative)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Matsyodarī–Kapileśvara yoga (Kāśī)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Twilight on the Gaṅgā at Kāśī: the river’s current forms a subtle ‘fish-belly’ curve (Matsyodarī), while on the western side a small Kapileśvara shrine glows with lamps; pilgrims pause as if sensing an unseen cosmic alignment.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Matsyodarī
• Kapileśvara
• Mahādevī
• yoga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred time and sacred place combine; when Gaṅgā aligns with Kapileśvara, the moment becomes a rare gateway for heightened spiritual attainment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Matsyodarī and Kapileśvara in Kāśī, especially their west-side meeting/approach.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated; the verse highlights an exceptionally auspicious ‘yoga’ suitable for pilgrimage acts such as snāna and darśana.