Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 94

Devanagari script

तेषामेवविचाराच्च हानिरेषा सुपर्वणाम् । तद्बलेन च किं राज्यं मयेदमुररीकृतम्

Transliteration

teṣāmevavicārācca hānireṣā suparvaṇām | tadbalena ca kiṃ rājyaṃ mayedamurarīkṛtam

Translation

Durch ihr eigenes Sinnen und Planen ist dieser Verlust über die göttlichen Wesen gekommen. Und wenn die Herrschaft nur auf ihrer Macht beruht, was ist dann dieses Reich, das ich als das meine angenommen habe?

Word by Word

• teṣām: of them
• teṣām: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural; pronoun

• eva: only/indeed
• eva: Sambandha-bodhaka (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (एव अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात) restrictive/emphatic

• vicārāt: from (their) deliberation
• vicārāt: Hetu (Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vicāra (विचार प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (च अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चय)

• hāniḥ: loss
• hāniḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hāni (हानि प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• eṣā: this
• eṣā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of hāniḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (एतद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; demonstrative pronoun used adjectivally

• suparvaṇām: of the Suparvans (a class/group)
• suparvaṇām: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: suparvan (सुपर्वन् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural

• tat-balena: by that power
• tat-balena: Karaṇa (Instrument/means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + bala (बल प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular; तत्पुरुष: ‘that’ + ‘power’ → ‘by that power’

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (च अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चय)

• kim: what (use)?
• kim: Prayojana-prashna (Rhetorical interrogative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kim (किम् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Interrogative particle used adverbially (निपातवत्) ‘what use?’

• rājyam: kingdom
• rājyam: Karma/Pradhāna (Thing under discussion)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājya (राज्य प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd), Singular; here as predicate/thing questioned

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Karta (Agent in passive construction)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (अस्मद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular; pronoun

• idam: this
• idam: Karta (Subject of passive predicate)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (इदम् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; demonstrative pronoun

• urarīkṛtam: accepted/undertaken
• urarīkṛtam: Kriyā (Predicative complement in passive)
• Type: Verb
• Root: urarī-kṛ (उररीकृ; कृ धातु with prefix-like formation)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; ‘accepted/assumed/undertaken’

Speaker

Narrator presenting the King’s self-questioning

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and ṛṣis (frame typical)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The king, troubled, looks at his crown or throne with detachment; behind him, faint silhouettes of devas suggest the unseen powers influencing events; the court appears dimmer, emphasizing inner renunciation.

Characters & Entities

• Devas (Suparvaṇām)
• King (ruler)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly authority is fragile without dharma and divine order; a wise ruler questions ego-based possession of power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting remains Kāśī Khaṇḍa; this verse is a political-theological reflection rather than site description.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it concerns the philosophy of rule and dependence on higher powers.