Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

वरमेतेश्वापदा वै मैत्रावरुणि सेवया । येषां न हिंसने बुद्धिर्नतु हिंसापरा नराः

Transliteration

varameteśvāpadā vai maitrāvaruṇi sevayā | yeṣāṃ na hiṃsane buddhirnatu hiṃsāparā narāḥ

Translation

يا ميترافاروني، إنّ هذه الوحوش البرّية خيرٌ من الرجال المولعين بالعنف؛ إذ لا نية لها في الإيذاء ولا عقلٌ مُتوجّهٌ إلى القتل.

Word by Word

• वरम्: better
• वरम्: Predicate (Comparative evaluation)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तुलनार्थे ‘better’

• एते: these
• एते: Karta/Topic
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• श्वापदाः: wild beasts
• श्वापदाः: Apposition to एते
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्वापद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• वै: indeed
• वै: Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• मैत्रावरुणि: O Maitrāvaruṇi
• मैत्रावरुणि: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मैत्रावरुणि (प्रातिपदिक; संबोधन-नाम, ‘O Maitrāvaruṇi’)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; ऋषि-नाम

• सेवया: by service/attendance
• सेवया: Karana (Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेवा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• येषाम्: of whom
• येषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम

• न: not
• न: Negation
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक निपात

• हिंसने: in harming
• हिंसने: Adhikarana (Domain/Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हिंसन (प्रातिपदिक; action-noun from हिंस्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; भाववाचक (in harming/violence)

• बुद्धिः: intention/mind
• बुद्धिः: Karta/Predicate nominal
• Type: Noun
• Root: बुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Negation
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक निपात

• तु: but
• तु: Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (contrastive particle)

• हिंसापराः: intent on violence
• हिंसापराः: Visheshana (Qualifier of नराः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हिंसा (प्रातिपदिक) + पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (devoted to violence)

• नराः: men/people
• नराः: Karta/Topic (Humans contrasted)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

Speaker

Skanda (explicitly inferred by vocative address to Maitrāvaruṇi = Agastya; consistent with Kāśīkhaṇḍa framing)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Maitrāvaruṇi

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A teacher addresses Maitrāvaruṇi, pointing to wild beasts living without a mind to harm, contrasted with violent men; the scene is a moral mirror held up to society in Kāśī.

Characters & Entities

• Maitrāvaruṇi (Agastya)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Intention matters: beings without a will to harm are superior to humans who cultivate violence; dharma demands inner non-violence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse belongs to the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī-māhātmya discourse, reinforcing Kāśī as a realm that upholds and teaches ahiṃsā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it is a comparative ethical judgment urging abandonment of हिंसा.