Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

इत्थं तस्य गुणग्रामान्विकथ्य बहुशः खगाः । नाद्यापि वृण्वते राज्ये कमपि स्वैरचारिणः

Transliteration

itthaṃ tasya guṇagrāmānvikathya bahuśaḥ khagāḥ | nādyāpi vṛṇvate rājye kamapi svairacāriṇaḥ

Translation

So erzählten die Vögel immer wieder von der Fülle seiner Eigenschaften und erklärten, dass sie bis heute niemanden zum König erwählen, der nur nach eigener Willkür handelt.

Word by Word

• इत्थम्: thus, in this manner
• इत्थम्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इत्थम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषणम्/adverb): ‘एवं/इस प्रकार’

• तस्य: of him/that (one)
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (6th/genitive), एकवचनम्

• गुणग्रामान्: clusters/collections of virtues
• गुणग्रामान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुण (प्रातिपदिक) + ग्राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), बहुवचनम्; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गुणानां ग्रामाः)

• विकथ्य: having described, having recounted
• विकथ्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + कथ् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) अव्ययकृदन्तः; ‘विकथ्य’ = ‘वर्णयित्वा/कथयित्वा’

• बहुशः: many times, repeatedly
• बहुशः: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: बहुशस् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषणम्/adverb): ‘पुनः पुनः/बहुवारम्’

• खगाः: birds
• खगाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: खग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा (1st/nominative), बहुवचनम्

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (particle of negation)

• अद्य: today, now
• अद्य: Kala-adhikarana (Time adjunct/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb): ‘today/now’

• अपि: even, also, yet
• अपि: Sambandha-bodhaka (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक-अव्यय (particle): ‘also/even/yet’

• वृण्वते: they choose, they select
• वृण्वते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd), बहुवचनम्

• राज्ये: in the kingdom, in rulership
• राज्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राज्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, सप्तमी (7th/locative), एकवचनम्

• कम्: someone, anyone
• कम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), एकवचनम्; अनिश्चितार्थे ‘someone’

• अपि: even, at all
• अपि: Sambandha-bodhaka (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपातः; ‘even/at all’ (emphatic)

• स्वैरचारिणः: free-roaming, acting at will
• स्वैरचारिणः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वैर (प्रातिपदिक) + चारिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा (1st/nominative), बहुवचनम्; समासः—कर्मधारयः (स्वैरः चारिणः)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (typical frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A council-like gathering of birds in a forested royal domain, repeatedly recounting a former king’s virtues, refusing to accept a capricious ruler; the mood is sober and didactic.

Characters & Entities

• Khagāḥ (birds)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Authority should be grounded in dharma and virtue, not in self-willed, arbitrary conduct.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa (Kāśī/Varanasi) narrative frame, though this particular line emphasizes dharmic governance rather than a named tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is ethical instruction (rāja-dharma) rather than a vrata, dāna, or snāna rule.