Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

सकृद्विश्वेश्वरं नत्वा मध्ये जन्मसुधीर्नरः । त्रैलोक्यवंदितपदो जायते वसुधापतिः

Transliteration

sakṛdviśveśvaraṃ natvā madhye janmasudhīrnaraḥ | trailokyavaṃditapado jāyate vasudhāpatiḥ

Translation

具慧之人于一生之中，纵仅一次顶礼毗湿韦湿伐罗（Viśveśvara），其后亦得生为大地主宰，足下为三界所礼敬。

Word by Word

• sakṛt: once
• sakṛt: Kala-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sakṛt (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; संख्यावाचक/कालवाचक (once)

• viśveśvaram: Viśveśvara (Lord of the universe)
• viśveśvaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśva (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (विश्वस्य ईश्वरः)

• natvā: having bowed
• natvā: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nam (धा॒तु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (Gerund/क्त्वान्त), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• madhye: in the midst
• madhye: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: madhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण

• janma-sudhīḥ: wise in (that) birth / wise during life
• janma-sudhīḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: janman (प्रातिपदिक) + su-dhī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (जन्मनि सुधीः = जन्ममध्येसुधीः/जन्मसुधीः); विशेषणम् (नरः)

• naraḥ: a man
• naraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• trailokya-vandita-padaḥ: whose feet are worshipped by the three worlds
• trailokya-vandita-padaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri-lokya (प्रातिपदिक) + vandita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) + pada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (यस्य पदं त्रैलोक्येन वन्दितम्)

• jāyate: is born / becomes
• jāyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धा॒तु)
• Form: लट् (Present/लट्), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• vasudhā-patiḥ: lord of the earth (king)
• vasudhā-patiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vasudhā (प्रातिपदिक) + pati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (वसुधायाः पतिः)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: returns to third-person praise of Viśveśvara’s darśana in Kāśī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Viśveśvara (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Kāśī-māhātmya interlocutor(s)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim bows once with deep concentration before Viśveśvara; the scene subtly transitions to a future birth where he is crowned as a righteous king, his feet revered by beings of the three worlds.

Characters & Entities

• Viśveśvara
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even a single sincere namaskāra to Viśveśvara in Kāśī carries transformative merit, elevating one’s destiny and honor.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Viśveśvara in Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), the central locus of Kāśī Māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Performing namaskāra (bowing) to Viśveśvara—emphasizing that even once is spiritually potent.