Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

तद्दर्शनाद्भवेत्पुंसां फलं यज्ञसमुद्भवम् । अत्रीश्वरं तु तत्प्राच्यां मधुकैटभपूजितम्

Transliteration

taddarśanādbhavetpuṃsāṃ phalaṃ yajñasamudbhavam | atrīśvaraṃ tu tatprācyāṃ madhukaiṭabhapūjitam

Translation

瞻礼达提奇自在天（Dadhīcīśvara），众人便得由祭祀（yajña）所生之功德果报。其东方有“阿特里自在天（Atrīśvara）”，连摩度与凯塔婆亦曾礼拜供养。

Word by Word

• तत्: from that
• तत्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन; ‘तत्’ इति सर्वनाम

• दर्शनात्: from seeing (it)
• दर्शनात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक; √दृश् (धातु) + ल्युट्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन

• भवेत्: would arise / would be
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• पुंसाम्: of men
• पुंसाम्: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुंस्/पुमान् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

• फलम्: fruit, result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• यज्ञ-समुद्भवम्: arising from sacrifice
• यज्ञ-समुद्भवम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक) + समुद्भव (प्रातिपदिक; सम्+उद्+√भू (धातु) + घञ्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् ‘फलम्’ इति

• अत्रीश्वरम्: Atrīśvara (Lord of Atri)
• अत्रीश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अत्रि (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; देवतावाचक-नाम

• तु: but, indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), विरोध/विशेषार्थक

• तत्: in that
• तत्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; ‘प्राच्याम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• प्राच्याम्: in the east (eastern direction)
• प्राच्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राची (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• मधु-कैटभ-पूजितम्: worshipped by Madhu and Kaiṭabha
• मधु-कैटभ-पूजितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मधु (प्रातिपदिक) + कैटभ (प्रातिपदिक) + पूजित (कृदन्त; √पूज् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि; ‘अत्रीश्वरम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dadhīcīśvara; Atrīśvara (east of it)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim in Kāśī offers flowers and water before Dadhīcīśvara; to the east, Atrīśvara is shown with subtle iconographic hints of Madhu and Kaiṭabha in reverent posture, emphasizing the shrine’s primordial authority.

Characters & Entities

• Dadhīcīśvara
• Yajña (sacrifice)
• Atrīśvara
• Madhu
• Kaiṭabha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage darśana in Kāśī is equated with the high merit of yajña, presenting devotion and sacred place as accessible paths to great spiritual reward.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dadhīcīśvara for yajña-like merit through darśana, and Atrīśvara to its east.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Yajña is not prescribed but used as a standard of merit; the implied practice is darśana/visit to the liṅgas.