Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

सोम्यमूर्तिर्विमानस्थो धर्मज्ञैः परिवारितः । सेवाकर्मसु चतुरैर्भृत्यैस्त्रिचतुरैः सह

Transliteration

somyamūrtirvimānastho dharmajñaiḥ parivāritaḥ | sevākarmasu caturairbhṛtyaistricaturaiḥ saha

Translation

Von sanfter Gestalt, in einem himmlischen Vimāna sitzend, war er von Kennern des Dharma umgeben und von drei oder vier im Dienst geschickten Dienern begleitet.

Word by Word

• somya-mūrtiḥ: one of gentle form
• somya-mūrtiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: somya (प्रातिपदिक) + mūrti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (somyā mūrtiḥ)

• vimāna-sthaḥ: standing in a chariot/aircraft
• vimāna-sthaḥ: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vimāna (प्रातिपदिक) + stha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष (vimāne sthitaḥ)

• dharma-jñaiḥ: by knowers of dharma
• dharma-jñaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + jña (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (dharmasya jñāḥ)

• parivāritaḥ: surrounded
• parivāritaḥ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari-√vṛ (धातु) + ta (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त), भूतकर्मणि; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• sevā-karmasu: in service duties
• sevā-karmasu: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sevā (प्रातिपदिक) + karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (sevāyāḥ karmāṇi)

• caturaiḥ: skilled
• caturaiḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• bhṛtyaiḥ: by servants
• bhṛtyaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhṛtya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), बहुवचन

• tri-caturaiḥ: three or four
• tri-caturaiḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + catura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; द्विगु-समास (त्रयश्च चत्वारश्च/त्रिचतुराः = three or four)

• saha: together with
• saha: Sahartha (Accompaniment/सहार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: saha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; सहार्थक-उपपद (with; governs instrumental)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration within Kāśīkhaṇḍa; traditionally Skanda to Agastya in Kāśīkhaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Frame-audience of the Purāṇa

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Dharmarāja, gentle-faced, sits in a vimāna; around him stand dharma-knowers like luminous sages, with a small group of deft attendants holding ritual implements and fly-whisks, forming a calm, symmetrical procession.

Characters & Entities

• Dharmarāja (Yama)
• Vimāna
• Dharmajña (knowers of dharma)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine governance is orderly and dharma-centered—Dharmarāja is depicted with dharma-knowers and disciplined service.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the broader sacred setting in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, framing the episode with liberation-focused sanctity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual instruction appears; the verse is descriptive, emphasizing dharmic entourage and divine arrival.