Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 81

Devanagari script

आराध्य श्री महादेवं पुरापदमिदं मया । आसादियत्तदेतत्ते तपसा प्रतिपादितम्

Transliteration

ārādhya śrī mahādevaṃ purāpadamidaṃ mayā | āsādiyattadetatte tapasā pratipāditam

Translation

往昔我礼敬吉祥大自在天（Mahādeva），得此位分；如今这同一位分赐予于你，由你的苦行（tapas）而确立。

Word by Word

• ārādhya: having worshipped
• ārādhya: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√rādh (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (ल्यप्/क्त्वान्त अव्यय), ‘आराध्य’ = having worshipped/propitiated

• śrī: revered/holy
• śrī: Sambandha (Honorific qualifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सम्मानसूचक उपपद/विशेषणरूपेण (honorific)

• mahādevam: Mahādeva
• mahādevam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; ‘महान् देवः’ = Mahādeva (Śiva)

• purāpadam: the former position
• purāpadam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: purā (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + pada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; ‘पुरा-पद’ = former/ancient position

• idam: this
• idam: Karma (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; इदम्-शब्द

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Karta (Agent in gerund construction)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; ‘by me’

• āsādi: I attained
• āsādi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√sad (धातु)
• Form: लिट्/परस्मैपद (परिपूर्णभूतार्थे), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; ‘आसादि’ = I attained/reached

• yat: which
• yat: Karma (Relative object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक ‘which/that’

• tat: that
• tat: Sambandha (Correlative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; ‘that’ (correlative)

• etat: this
• etat: Sambandha (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; ‘this’

• te: to you
• te: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: मध्यमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, चतुर्थी (4th), एकवचन; ‘to you/for you’

• tapasā: by austerity
• tapasā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; ‘by austerity’

• pratipāditam: has been established/declared
• pratipāditam: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prati-√pad (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मणि—‘has been made known/established’

Speaker

Bhagavān Viṣṇu

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis / audience of Kāśī-māhātmya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A divine speaker recalls having attained the same station by worship of Mahādeva; now the station is conferred upon Dhruva as the fruit of his austerity.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Mahādeva (Śiva)
• Dhruva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Austerity and worship lead to exalted attainment; the Purāṇa also stresses reverence between Śiva and Viṣṇu traditions.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Within Kāśīkhaṇḍa, Mahādeva’s eminence resonates with Kāśī’s Śaiva sacred geography, though this verse does not name a particular shrine.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Worship (ārādhana) of Mahādeva and tapas (austerity) are indicated as spiritual disciplines, without procedural detail.