Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

क्षयी च तस्य विषये कोप्याकर्णि न केनचित् । त्रिविष्टपे क्षपानाथः पक्षेपक्षे क्षयीष्यते

Transliteration

kṣayī ca tasya viṣaye kopyākarṇi na kenacit | triviṣṭape kṣapānāthaḥ pakṣepakṣe kṣayīṣyate

Translation

في مملكته لا يسمع أحدٌ قطّ عن أي «نقصان»؛ أمّا في تريفِشْتابا (السماء) فإن سيّد الليل، القمر، يتناقص نصفَ شهرٍ بعد نصفِ شهر.

Word by Word

• क्षयी: perishing/subject to decay
• क्षयी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्षयिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (perishing/decaying)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय

• तस्य: of him/of that
• तस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• विषये: in (his) realm/domain
• विषये: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विषय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• कः: who?
• कः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha/Particle (निपातार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (even)

• आकर्णि: was heard (as a report)
• आकर्णि: Kriya (Verbal predicate/क्रियाविशेष)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + √कर्ण्/√कृ (धातु) + णिच्? (कृदन्त/रूप)
• Form: अव्ययभावे/निपातसन्निकृष्टं रूपम्; पाठभेदसम्भवः—‘आकर्णि’ = ‘आकर्णितम्/आकर्णितः’ (heard) इत्यर्थे; here taken as past passive sense ‘was heard’

• न: not
• न: Sambandha/Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय

• केनचित्: by anyone
• केनचित्: Karana (Instrument/कर्ता-प्रमाण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; अनिश्चित/किञ्चित्-प्रयोग (by anyone)

• त्रिविष्टपे: in heaven (Triviṣṭapa)
• त्रिविष्टपे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिविष्टप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• क्षपानाथः: lord of the night (the Moon)
• क्षपानाथः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षपा + नाथ (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (क्षपायाः नाथः)

• पक्षे: in a fortnight
• पक्षे: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• पक्षे: in (each) fortnight
• पक्षे: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (reduplicated for distributive sense)

• क्षयीष्यते: will wane/perish
• क्षयीष्यते: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √क्षि (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa context typically Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśīkṣetra (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Audience of the Kāśī-māhātmya discourse (not explicit)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Symbolic contrast: a serene, ever-luminous Kāśī cityscape with steady lamp-flames; above, the Moon shown in successive phases to indicate inevitable waning, highlighting Kāśī’s ‘non-waning’ auspiciousness.

Characters & Entities

• Triviṣṭapa (Svarga)
• Kṣapānātha (Moon)
• Divodāsa (implied)
• Kāśī (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred Kāśī is depicted as free from diminution—its dharmic and auspicious power is steadier than even celestial cycles.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), implied as the ‘non-waning’ holy realm in contrast to the lunar waning in heaven.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse uses cosmological imagery to praise the exceptional auspiciousness of the realm.