Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 87

Devanagari script

वसिष्ठवामदेवौ च मूर्तिरूपधरावुभौ । द्रष्टव्यौ यत्नतः काश्यां महाविघ्नविनाशिनौ

Transliteration

vasiṣṭhavāmadevau ca mūrtirūpadharāvubhau | draṣṭavyau yatnataḥ kāśyāṃ mahāvighnavināśinau

Translation

وسِشٹھ اور وام دیو—دونوں ہی مجسّم روپ میں—کاشی میں نہایت اہتمام سے دیدنی ہیں، کیونکہ وہ بڑے بڑے وِگھنوں (رکاوٹوں) کا نाश کرتے ہیں۔

Word by Word

• वसिष्ठवामदेवौ: Vasiṣṭha and Vāmadeva
• वसिष्ठवामदेवौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसिष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक) + वामदेव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन (Dual)

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

• मूर्ति: form
• मूर्ति: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूर्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); समासपूर्वपद (in compound)

• रूपधरौ: bearing a form/appearance
• रूपधरौ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रूप (प्रातिपदिक) + धर (धातु √धृ, कर्तृप्रत्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन (Dual); रूपं धरतीति (षष्ठी/कर्मधारय-प्रायः)

• उभौ: both
• उभौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उभ (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन (Dual)

• द्रष्टव्यौ: to be seen; should be visited
• द्रष्टव्यौ: Vidhi (Obligation/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √दृश् (धातु) + तव्यत् (कृत्प्रत्यय)
• Form: तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (gerundive/obligatory), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन (Dual)

• यत्नतः: with effort; carefully
• यत्नतः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (adverb)

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

• महाविघ्नविनाशिनौ: destroyers of great obstacles
• महाविघ्नविनाशिनौ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मह (प्रातिपदिक) + विघ्न (प्रातिपदिक) + विनाशिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन (Dual); महाविघ्नान् विनाशयतीति (उपपद-तत्पुरुष)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (ṛṣi-darśana: Vasiṣṭha, Vāmadeva)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim in Kāśī approaches two serene ṛṣis—Vasiṣṭha and Vāmadeva—shown as embodied sages seated near a shrine, blessing the devotee; the city’s ghāṭs and liṅgas appear in the background as a sacred map.

Characters & Entities

• Vasiṣṭha
• Vāmadeva
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī sanctifies not only deities but also ṛṣis; honoring realized sages is portrayed as a powerful means to clear major impediments on the path.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The embodied presences/shrines of the sages Vasiṣṭha and Vāmadeva within Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Diligent darśana (yatnataḥ) of these two sacred presences for the destruction of ‘mahā-vighna’ (great obstacles).