Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

अभोक्षिषुर्दुराचाराः क्रूरकर्मपरिग्रहाः । नद्यो विमार्गगा आसञ्ज्वलंति न तथाग्नयः

Transliteration

abhokṣiṣurdurācārāḥ krūrakarmaparigrahāḥ | nadyo vimārgagā āsañjvalaṃti na tathāgnayaḥ

Translation

দুৰাচাৰী, ক্ৰূৰ কৰ্মত আসক্ত সেইসকলে বিশৃঙ্খলা ঘটালে; নদীসমূহ নিজৰ পথ এৰি ভ্ৰষ্ট হ’ল, আৰু অগ্নিসমূহো উচিতৰূপে জ্বলি উঠিল নাছিল।

Word by Word

• अभोक्षिषुः: did not eat / did not partake
• अभोक्षिषुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भुज्/भोज् (धातु)
• Form: लुङ्-लकार (अorist), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद; नञ्-आगमः (अ-), ‘they did not eat/enjoy’

• दुराचाराः: evil-doers
• दुराचाराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुराचार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• क्रूर-कर्म-परिग्रहाः: whose pursuits were cruel deeds
• क्रूर-कर्म-परिग्रहाः: Karta (Qualifier of subject/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्रूर (प्रातिपदिक) + कर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + परिग्रह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (दुराचाराः); बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (क्रूरं कर्म यस्य परिग्रहः)

• नद्यः: rivers
• नद्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• विमार्ग-गाः: flowing off-course
• विमार्ग-गाः: Karta (Qualifier of subject/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विमार्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + ग (गम् धातु, क्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (नद्यः); उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (विमार्गं गच्छन्त्यः)

• आसन्: were
• आसन्: Kriya (Copula/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (imperfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• ज्वलन्ति: burn
• ज्वलन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्वल् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• तथा: thus / likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: in that manner/so)

• अग्नयः: fires
• अग्नयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā in Kāśī (Kāśī-ghāṭa tīrthas collectively)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A surreal omen scene: a river bending away from its bed, eddies reversing; sacrificial fires sputtering with smoke but no flame; cruel men in the background as the unseen cause of elemental imbalance.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Agastya
• Rivers
• Agni (fire as principle)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Puranic dharma links moral collapse with ecological and elemental imbalance; righteousness sustains harmony in nature.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the narrative domain, but this verse is a general description of ominous disturbances.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.