Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 59

Devanagari script

ये त्वा स्मरंति सततं सहजप्रकाशां काशीपुरीस्थितिमतीं नतमोक्षलक्ष्मीम् । तान्संस्मरेत्स्मरहरो धृतशुद्धबुद्धीन्निर्वाणरक्षणविचक्षणपात्रभूतान्

Transliteration

ye tvā smaraṃti satataṃ sahajaprakāśāṃ kāśīpurīsthitimatīṃ natamokṣalakṣmīm | tānsaṃsmaretsmaraharo dhṛtaśuddhabuddhīnnirvāṇarakṣaṇavicakṣaṇapātrabhūtān

Translation

凡恒常忆念你者——你自光明而显，安住于迦尸（Kāśī）圣城，且为礼拜者之解脱福德——欲灭者斯摩罗诃罗（Śiva，摧毁爱神迦摩者）亦反过来忆念他们，视其为心智已净、堪为法器，并善于守护涅槃之人。

Word by Word

• ye: those who
• ye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• tvā: you
• tvā: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• smaranti: remember
• smaranti: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: smṛ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• satataṃ: always
• satataṃ: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: satata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• sahaja-prakāśām: naturally radiant
• sahaja-prakāśām: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sahaja (प्रातिपदिक) + prakāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• kāśī-purī-sthiti-matīm: abiding in the city of Kāśī
• kāśī-purī-sthiti-matīm: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kāśī (प्रातिपदिक) + purī (प्रातिपदिक) + sthiti (प्रातिपदिक) + mat (प्रातिपदिक/मतुप्)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; बहुपदसमास; विशेषण

• nata-mokṣa-lakṣmīm: the Lakṣmī of liberation for the bowed (devotees)
• nata-mokṣa-lakṣmīm: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nata (कृदन्त; √nam) + mokṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + lakṣmī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासपद

• tān: them
• tān: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• saṃsmaret: should remember
• saṃsmaret: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: smṛ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; उपसर्ग: सम्

• smara-haraḥ: Śiva, the destroyer of Smara
• smara-haraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: smara (प्रातिपदिक) + hara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; शिवपर्याय

• dhṛta-śuddha-buddhīn: having pure intellect
• dhṛta-śuddha-buddhīn: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhṛta (कृदन्त; √dhṛ) + śuddha (प्रातिपदिक) + buddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; विशेषण; (बुद्धि-शब्दः स्त्री, परन्तु समासे बहुवचन-विशेषणरूपेण)

• nirvāṇa-rakṣaṇa-vicakṣaṇa-pātra-bhūtān: become fit recipients, discerning in protecting liberation
• nirvāṇa-rakṣaṇa-vicakṣaṇa-pātra-bhūtān: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nirvāṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + rakṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + vicakṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + pātra (प्रातिपदिक) + bhūta (कृदन्त; √bhū)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; बहुपदसमास; विशेषण

Speaker

Narrator (contextual: Skanda in Kāśī Khaṇḍa discourse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee in Kāśī meditates on the self-effulgent Devī; above, Śiva as Smarahara turns his compassionate gaze toward the devotee, signifying reciprocal remembrance and protection of liberation.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Śiva (Smarahara)
• Maṅgalāgaurī
• Mokṣa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steady remembrance (smaraṇa) of the Kāśī-abiding Goddess purifies the mind, and Śiva reciprocally safeguards the devotee’s path to liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśīpurī (Varanasi), presented as a seat of mokṣa and divine presence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No external rite is mandated here; the practice emphasized is continuous remembrance and devotion (smaraṇa, praṇāma implied).