Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

सर्वविघ्रोपहंत्री च कर्तव्या क्षेत्रवासिभिः । शैलेशं प्रथमं वीक्ष्य वरणास्नानपूर्वकम्

Transliteration

sarvavighropahaṃtrī ca kartavyā kṣetravāsibhiḥ | śaileśaṃ prathamaṃ vīkṣya varaṇāsnānapūrvakam

Translation

Nghi lễ này—đấng diệt trừ mọi chướng ngại—người cư trú trong thánh địa (Kāśī) nên thực hành. Trước hết hãy chiêm bái Śaileśa, sau khi đã tắm sông Varaṇā.

Word by Word

• सर्व: all
• सर्व: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (neuter, nominative/accusative, singular; adjectival)

• विघ्न: of obstacles
• विघ्न: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vighna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन (masculine, genitive, plural) — समासाङ्ग (compound member)

• उप: away/near (as prefix)
• उप: Upasarga (Preverb/उपसर्ग)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: upa (उपसर्ग)
• Form: उपसर्ग (preverb/particle)

• हन्त्री: destroyer/remover
• हन्त्री: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: han (धातु) + tṛ (कृत् प्रत्यय) → hantrī (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तृन्-प्रत्ययान्त कर्तृवाचक (feminine, nominative, singular; agent noun)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक निपात (conjunction)

• कर्तव्या: should be done/observed
• कर्तव्या: Vidhi (Obligation predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛ (धातु) + tavya (कृत् प्रत्यय) → kartavyā (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त विधेय/कर्तव्य (feminine, nominative, singular; gerundive/ought to be done)

• क्षेत्रवासिभिः: by the residents of the sacred area
• क्षेत्रवासिभिः: Kartr̥ (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक) + vāsin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (kṣetrasya vāsin) (masculine, instrumental, plural)

• शैलेशम्: Śaileśa (Lord of the mountain)
• शैलेशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaila (प्रातिपदिक) + īśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (śailasya īśaḥ) (masculine, accusative, singular)

• प्रथमम्: first
• प्रथमम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prathama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण नपुंसक-द्वितीया-एकवचन (adverbial accusative: ‘first’)

• वीक्ष्य: having seen
• वीक्ष्य: Pūrvakāla (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vīkṣ (धातु) + ल्यप् → vīkṣya (क्त्वान्त/ल्यबन्त अव्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• वरण: of Varaṇā (Varuṇā river)
• वरण: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन — समासाङ्ग (compound member)

• स्नान: of bathing
• स्नान: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन — समासाङ्ग (compound member)

• पूर्वकम्: preceded by (the bath in Varuṇā)
• पूर्वकम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrvaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावसमास; क्रियाविशेषण (adverbial: ‘preceded by …’) नपुंसक, द्वितीया, एकवचन (adverbial accusative)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Varaṇā-snāna and Śaileśa-darśana (Kāśī)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim community at dawn approaches the gentle Varaṇā waters for snāna; after purification they walk in a line toward a hill-associated shrine of Śaileśa, carrying lotuses and water-pots, with Kāśī’s skyline and temple spires behind.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (kṣetra)
• Varaṇā (river)
• Śaileśa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In Kāśī, dharma is practiced through ordered tīrtha-bathing and Śiva-darśana, which removes obstacles to spiritual progress.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Varaṇā river (for snāna) and the Śaileśa shrine (for darśana) within the Kāśī-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform Varaṇā-snāna first, then take darśana of Śaileśa as the opening act of the yātrā.