Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

इत्थं तस्य गुणग्रामान्विकथ्य बहुशः खगाः । नाद्यापि वृण्वते राज्ये कमपि स्वैरचारिणः

Transliteration

itthaṃ tasya guṇagrāmānvikathya bahuśaḥ khagāḥ | nādyāpi vṛṇvate rājye kamapi svairacāriṇaḥ

Translation

এইভাবে তার গুণসমূহ বারবার কীর্তন করে পাখিরা বলল—আজও তারা রাজ্যে কোনো স্বেচ্ছাচারীকে রাজা হিসেবে বেছে নেয় না।

Word by Word

• इत्थम्: thus, in this manner
• इत्थम्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इत्थम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषणम्/adverb): ‘एवं/इस प्रकार’

• तस्य: of him/that (one)
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (6th/genitive), एकवचनम्

• गुणग्रामान्: clusters/collections of virtues
• गुणग्रामान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुण (प्रातिपदिक) + ग्राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), बहुवचनम्; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गुणानां ग्रामाः)

• विकथ्य: having described, having recounted
• विकथ्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + कथ् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) अव्ययकृदन्तः; ‘विकथ्य’ = ‘वर्णयित्वा/कथयित्वा’

• बहुशः: many times, repeatedly
• बहुशः: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: बहुशस् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषणम्/adverb): ‘पुनः पुनः/बहुवारम्’

• खगाः: birds
• खगाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: खग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा (1st/nominative), बहुवचनम्

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (particle of negation)

• अद्य: today, now
• अद्य: Kala-adhikarana (Time adjunct/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb): ‘today/now’

• अपि: even, also, yet
• अपि: Sambandha-bodhaka (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक-अव्यय (particle): ‘also/even/yet’

• वृण्वते: they choose, they select
• वृण्वते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd), बहुवचनम्

• राज्ये: in the kingdom, in rulership
• राज्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राज्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, सप्तमी (7th/locative), एकवचनम्

• कम्: someone, anyone
• कम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), एकवचनम्; अनिश्चितार्थे ‘someone’

• अपि: even, at all
• अपि: Sambandha-bodhaka (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपातः; ‘even/at all’ (emphatic)

• स्वैरचारिणः: free-roaming, acting at will
• स्वैरचारिणः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वैर (प्रातिपदिक) + चारिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा (1st/nominative), बहुवचनम्; समासः—कर्मधारयः (स्वैरः चारिणः)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (typical frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A council-like gathering of birds in a forested royal domain, repeatedly recounting a former king’s virtues, refusing to accept a capricious ruler; the mood is sober and didactic.

Characters & Entities

• Khagāḥ (birds)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Authority should be grounded in dharma and virtue, not in self-willed, arbitrary conduct.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa (Kāśī/Varanasi) narrative frame, though this particular line emphasizes dharmic governance rather than a named tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is ethical instruction (rāja-dharma) rather than a vrata, dāna, or snāna rule.