Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 93

Devanagari script

मनःपवनवेगेन भ्रममाणं महारयम् । अपिस्पृशंतं मशकं यत्खंडयति कोटिशः

Transliteration

manaḥpavanavegena bhramamāṇaṃ mahārayam | apispṛśaṃtaṃ maśakaṃ yatkhaṃḍayati koṭiśaḥ

Translation

كانت تدور بسرعة الفكر والريح، مندفعـةً بقوةٍ هائلة؛ حتى إنّها، لشدّة رهبتها، تُحطِّم إلى ملايين الشظايا بعوضةً لمجرّد اقترابها، من غير أن تمسّها.

Word by Word

• मनःपवनवेगेन: by the speed of the mind-like wind
• मनःपवनवेगेन: Karana (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनस् (प्रातिपदिक) + पवन (प्रातिपदिक) + वेग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण/Instrumental), एकवचन; समासः—मनः-पवन-वेग (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/निर्देश-तत्पुरुष), ‘मनःसदृशस्य पवनस्य वेगः’ इति

• भ्रममाणम्: revolving, moving in circles
• भ्रममाणम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भ्रम् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ/शानच्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘भ्रमन्/भ्रममाण’ = revolving

• महारयम्: great speed / great momentum
• महारयम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + रय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—महान् रयः (महावेगः)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अपि-भाव

• स्पृशन्तम्: touching
• स्पृशन्तम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्पृश् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘touching’

• मशकम्: a mosquito
• मशकम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मशक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• यत्: which (thing)
• यत्: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचकं सर्वनाम

• खण्डयति: breaks, shatters
• खण्डयति: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: खण्ड् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• कोटिशः: into crores (countless pieces)
• कोटिशः: Adverbial (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कोटि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव/प्रकारवाचक अव्यय; ‘कोटि-शस्’ = कोटि-प्रकारेण/बहुधा

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya narration)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and other ṛṣis (typical frame; not explicit here)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A terrifying, rapidly spinning divine contrivance (yantra) whirls like mind-and-wind, its aura shredding even a tiny insect that nears it; the space trembles with kinetic force.

Characters & Entities

• Garuḍa (Vainateya)
• Pīyūṣa/Amṛta (context)
• Devas (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine ordinances can be unimaginably powerful; human or even heroic effort must be joined with higher grace and right discernment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader frame is the Kāśī Khaṇḍa (Vārāṇasī-Māhātmya context), though this verse itself describes the cosmic defense around amṛta rather than a named tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse is descriptive (of a protective mechanism) rather than prescriptive (vrata/dāna/snānajapa).