Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

वरमेतेश्वापदा वै मैत्रावरुणि सेवया । येषां न हिंसने बुद्धिर्नतु हिंसापरा नराः

Transliteration

varameteśvāpadā vai maitrāvaruṇi sevayā | yeṣāṃ na hiṃsane buddhirnatu hiṃsāparā narāḥ

Translation

O Maitrāvaruṇi, besser sind diese wilden Tiere—deren Sinn nicht auf Verletzung gerichtet ist—als Menschen, die der Gewalt ergeben sind.

Word by Word

• वरम्: better
• वरम्: Predicate (Comparative evaluation)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तुलनार्थे ‘better’

• एते: these
• एते: Karta/Topic
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• श्वापदाः: wild beasts
• श्वापदाः: Apposition to एते
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्वापद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• वै: indeed
• वै: Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• मैत्रावरुणि: O Maitrāvaruṇi
• मैत्रावरुणि: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मैत्रावरुणि (प्रातिपदिक; संबोधन-नाम, ‘O Maitrāvaruṇi’)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; ऋषि-नाम

• सेवया: by service/attendance
• सेवया: Karana (Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेवा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• येषाम्: of whom
• येषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम

• न: not
• न: Negation
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक निपात

• हिंसने: in harming
• हिंसने: Adhikarana (Domain/Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हिंसन (प्रातिपदिक; action-noun from हिंस्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; भाववाचक (in harming/violence)

• बुद्धिः: intention/mind
• बुद्धिः: Karta/Predicate nominal
• Type: Noun
• Root: बुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Negation
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक निपात

• तु: but
• तु: Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (contrastive particle)

• हिंसापराः: intent on violence
• हिंसापराः: Visheshana (Qualifier of नराः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हिंसा (प्रातिपदिक) + पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (devoted to violence)

• नराः: men/people
• नराः: Karta/Topic (Humans contrasted)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

Speaker

Skanda (explicitly inferred by vocative address to Maitrāvaruṇi = Agastya; consistent with Kāśīkhaṇḍa framing)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Maitrāvaruṇi

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A teacher addresses Maitrāvaruṇi, pointing to wild beasts living without a mind to harm, contrasted with violent men; the scene is a moral mirror held up to society in Kāśī.

Characters & Entities

• Maitrāvaruṇi (Agastya)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Intention matters: beings without a will to harm are superior to humans who cultivate violence; dharma demands inner non-violence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse belongs to the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī-māhātmya discourse, reinforcing Kāśī as a realm that upholds and teaches ahiṃsā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it is a comparative ethical judgment urging abandonment of हिंसा.