Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 98

Devanagari script

राजांकमारुरुक्षुर्हि सुरुच्या परिभर्त्सितः । उत्तमं चोत्तमीकृत्य मां च मन्मातरं तथा

Transliteration

rājāṃkamārurukṣurhi surucyā paribhartsitaḥ | uttamaṃ cottamīkṛtya māṃ ca manmātaraṃ tathā

Translation

Als ich jedoch auf den Schoß des Königs steigen wollte, wurde ich von Surucī hart zurechtgewiesen—sie erhob Uttama zum „Würdigen“ und erniedrigte ebenso mich und meine Mutter.

Word by Word

• rāja-aṅkam: the king’s lap
• rāja-aṅkam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक) + aṅka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative, 2nd), एकवचन (Singular); तत्पुरुषः—‘rājñaḥ aṅkaḥ’ (king’s lap/throne-seat)

• ārurukṣuḥ: wishing to climb
• ārurukṣuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√ruh (धातु)
• Form: सन्/उणादि-प्रत्ययान्त इच्छार्थक कृदन्त (desiderative participle), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative, 1st), एकवचन (Singular); ‘to wish to climb’

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle), निश्चयार्थक (indeed)

• surucyā: by Suruci
• surucyā: Karana (Agent in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: suruci (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), तृतीया (Instrumental, 3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• paribhartsitaḥ: rebuked/insulted
• paribhartsitaḥ: Karta (Predicate nominative/कर्ता-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari-√bharts (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative, 1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• uttamam: Uttama (name)
• uttamam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative, 2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction)

• uttamīkṛtya: having elevated (him) as superior
• uttamīkṛtya: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: uttamī-√kṛ (धातु; नामधातु/causative sense)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund), ‘having made (someone) superior/placed as superior’

• mām: me
• mām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम (1st person pronoun), द्वितीया (Accusative, 2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction)

• mat-mātaram: my mother
• mat-mātaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mad (प्रातिपदिक) + mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया (Accusative, 2nd), एकवचन (Singular); तत्पुरुषः—‘mama mātaram’

• tathā: likewise/also
• tathā: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

Speaker

Dhruva

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: munīśvarāḥ (sages)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A palace moment: Dhruva reaches for the king’s lap; Surucī rebukes him, praising Uttama and belittling Dhruva and his mother—an injustice that ignites Dhruva’s resolve.

Characters & Entities

• Dhruva
• Surucī
• Uttama
• king (Uttānapāda implied)
• Sunīti (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Humiliation and injustice can become a sacred catalyst, redirecting the heart from status-seeking to God-seeking.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it provides the moral backstory within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse.