Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 67

Devanagari script

काश्यां प्रवेशं प्राप्यापि तदस्थीनि घटोद्भव । विना वैश्वेश्वरीमाज्ञां बहिर्यातानि तत्क्षणात्

Transliteration

kāśyāṃ praveśaṃ prāpyāpi tadasthīni ghaṭodbhava | vinā vaiśveśvarīmājñāṃ bahiryātāni tatkṣaṇāt

Translation

Selbst nachdem sie in Kāśī eingetreten waren, wurden jene Gebeine—o Ghaṭodbhava (Agastya)—ohne den Befehl der Vaiśveśvarī in eben diesem Augenblick hinausgeworfen.

Word by Word

• काश्याम्: in Kashi
• काश्याम्: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक; स्थाननाम)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative), एकवचन

• प्रवेशम्: entry
• प्रवेशम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रवेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन

• प्राप्य: having attained
• प्राप्य: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive): 'having obtained/reached'

• अपि: even
• अपि: Emphasis (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle: 'even/also')

• तत्-अस्थीनि: those bones
• तत्-अस्थीनि: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + अस्थि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (तत् + अस्थि)

• घट-उद्भव: O pot-born one (Agastya)
• घट-उद्भव: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: घट (प्रातिपदिक) + उद्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि-समासः (घटात् उद्भवः यस्य सः = 'born from a pot')

• विना: without
• विना: Exclusion marker (वर्जन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विना (अव्यय)
• Form: उपसर्गसदृश-अव्यय/निषेधार्थक (preposition-like indeclinable: 'without')

• वैश्वेश्वरीम्: of Vishveshvara
• वैश्वेश्वरीम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वैश्वेश्वरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (आज्ञाम् इति विशेष्य)

• आज्ञाम्: command/permission
• आज्ञाम्: Karma (कर्म; governed by 'vinā')
• Type: Noun
• Root: आज्ञा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन

• बहिः: outside
• बहिः: Direction/goal marker (दिशा/गति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: बहिस् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: 'outside')

• यातानि: went/had gone
• यातानि: Kriya-predicate (क्रियाविशेष्य; passive predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: कृत्-प्रत्ययान्तः: क्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगः (gone)

• तत्-क्षणात्: from that very moment
• तत्-क्षणात्: Apadana/Time (अपादान/काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (Ablative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (तत् + क्षण)

Speaker

Skanda (addressing Agastya, ‘Ghaṭodbhava’)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis; internal address to Agastya ('Ghaṭodbhava')

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At Kāśī’s boundary/ghat, a bundle of bones is mysteriously pushed outward by an unseen force; a radiant feminine presence (Vaiśveśvarī) is sensed above, while Agastya (Ghaṭodbhava) is addressed in narration.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Agastya (Ghaṭodbhava)
• Vaiśveśvarī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is governed by divine ordinance; nothing contrary to the kṣetra’s sacred law can remain without the presiding authority’s sanction.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī itself is foregrounded as a uniquely regulated sacred kṣetra under the authority of Vaiśveśvarī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An implicit rule of kṣetra-niyama (sacred jurisdiction): entry/retention within Kāśī depends on divine ājñā (permission), though no specific rite is described.