Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 33

Devanagari script

धर्मो हि रक्षितो येन देहे सत्वरगत्वरे । त्रैलोक्यरक्षितं तेन किं कामार्थैः सुरक्षितैः

Transliteration

dharmo hi rakṣito yena dehe satvaragatvare | trailokyarakṣitaṃ tena kiṃ kāmārthaiḥ surakṣitaiḥ

Translation

Wer Dharma schützt — selbst in diesem Leib, der flüchtig ist und rasch dahingeht — der bewahrt damit die drei Welten. Wozu bräuchte ein solcher noch sorgsam gehütete Lust (kāma) oder Besitz (artha)?

Word by Word

• dharmaḥ: dharma, righteousness
• dharmaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• hi: indeed, for
• hi: Sambandha/Discourse particle (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle/emphasis)

• rakṣitaḥ: protected
• rakṣitaḥ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: rakṣ (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (भूतकर्मणि/PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगे ‘is protected’

• yena: by whom/whereby
• yena: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (यद्-प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन, पुं/नपुंसक-रूप

• dehe: in the body
• dehe: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• satvara-gatvare: in the swiftly perishing (body)
• satvara-gatvare: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: satvara (प्रातिपदिक) + gatvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; ‘satvaraḥ gatvaraḥ’ इति विशेषणम् (qualifying dehe)

• trailokya-rakṣitam: (that which is) the protection of the three worlds / protected for the three worlds
• trailokya-rakṣitam: Karma/Predicate complement (कर्म/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri (प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक) + rakṣita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (trailokyasya rakṣitam); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषणम्

• tena: by that (person/means)
• tena: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद्-प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन, पुं/नपुंसक-रूप

• kim: what (use)?
• kim: Prashna (प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kim (किम्-प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative particle)

• kāma-arthaiḥ: with desire and wealth (pleasures and gains)
• kāma-arthaiḥ: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāma (प्रातिपदिक) + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व; पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• su-rakṣitaiḥ: well-protected
• su-rakṣitaiḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (उपसर्ग) + rakṣ (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; kāmārthaiḥ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśī-khaṇḍa norm: Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim-sage in Kāśī reflects on the fleeting body while the cosmic order (three worlds) is symbolically upheld by a radiant figure of Dharma; distant ghats and a Śiva-liṅga silhouette suggest Kāśī’s sanctity.

Characters & Entities

• Dharma
• Trailokya (three worlds)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Protecting Dharma is presented as the highest security—greater than guarding pleasure or wealth—because it upholds cosmic order itself.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader passage belongs to the Kāśī Mahātmya context, where Dharma born of serving Kāśī is praised as uniquely protective.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed in this verse; it teaches a value-hierarchy: Dharma first, above kāma and artha.