Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

स्वभाव एव द्युसदां परोत्कर्षासहिष्णुता । बलि बाण दधीच्याद्यैरपराद्धं किमत्र तैः

Transliteration

svabhāva eva dyusadāṃ parotkarṣāsahiṣṇutā | bali bāṇa dadhīcyādyairaparāddhaṃ kimatra taiḥ

Translation

Es ist wahrlich die Natur der Himmelsbewohner, fremde Vortrefflichkeit nicht zu ertragen. Was wundert es also, dass sie Bali, Bāṇa, Dadhīci und andere kränkten?

Word by Word

• स्वभावः: (it is) the nature
• स्वभावः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वभाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; 'nature'

• एव: indeed
• एव: Discourse particle (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण अव्यय (indeed)

• द्युसदाम्: of the gods
• द्युसदाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्युसद् (प्रातिपदिक); घटकाः: द्यु (स्वर्ग) + सद् (dwelling)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; 'of the heaven-dwellers (gods)'

• परोत्कर्षासहिष्णुता: intolerance of others’ excellence
• परोत्कर्षासहिष्णुता: Karta (Predicate nominative/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर-उत्कर्ष-असहिष्णुता (प्रातिपदिक); घटकाः: पर + उत्कर्ष + असहिष्णुता
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—'परस्य उत्कर्षः' तस्मिन् असहिष्णुता (intolerance of others' superiority)

• बलि: Bali
• बलि: Karta (Agent in implied clause/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; नाम (Bali)

• बाण: Bāṇa
• बाण: Karta (Agent in implied clause/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; नाम (Bāṇa)

• दधीचि-आद्यैः: by Dadhīci and others
• दधीचि-आद्यैः: Karana/Agent-group (Instrument/कर्ता-समूह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दधीचि-आदि (प्रातिपदिक); घटकाः: दधीचि + आदि
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; 'by Dadhīci and others' (आदि-समास)

• अपराद्धम्: wrongdoing
• अपराद्धम्: Karma/Predicate (Object/भाव)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अपराध (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक; √राध् (धातु) + अप + घञ्/भाव)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; 'offence/wrong' (here: 'was committed')

• किम्: what
• किम्: Interrogative (प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक—'what?'

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adverbial (देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (here/in this matter)

• तैः: by them
• तैः: Karana/Agent (Instrument/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; 'by them'

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Muni/interlocutor

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A montage-like moral tableau: Bali humbled, Bāṇa confronted, Dadhīci offering his bones—framed as examples of deva intolerance toward others’ greatness.

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Bali
• Bāṇa
• Dadhīci

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even celestial power can be shadowed by envy; dharma calls for humility and recognition of true merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is mentioned; the verse functions as moral framing within the Kāśī narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.