Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 89

Devanagari script

यत्रेभाः परिभांत्यष्टौ यत्राष्टौ जविनो हयाः । मनः संयमनं यत्र कशापाणि व्यवस्थितम्

Transliteration

yatrebhāḥ paribhāṃtyaṣṭau yatrāṣṭau javino hayāḥ | manaḥ saṃyamanaṃ yatra kaśāpāṇi vyavasthitam

Translation

Wo acht Elefanten in Glanz erstrahlen, wo acht schnelle Rosse sind; wo die Zügelung des Geistes fest gegründet ist und die Peitsche bereit in der Hand gehalten wird.

Word by Word

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (where)

• इभाः: elephants
• इभाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Nominative plural)

• परिभान्ति: shine all around
• परिभान्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि + भा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; √भा (to shine) with उपसर्ग परि

• अष्टौ: eight
• अष्टौ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्टन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (where)

• अष्टौ: eight
• अष्टौ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्टन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• जविनः: swift
• जविनः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जविन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (swift)

• हयाः: horses
• हयाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Nominative plural)

• मनः: mind
• मनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Nom./Acc. singular)

• संयमनम्: restraint; control
• संयमनम्: Kriya (Complement/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सम् + यम् (धातु) → संयमन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भाववाचक (act/state of restraint)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (where)

• कशापाणि: the whip (held in hand)
• कशापाणि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कशा (प्रातिपदिक) + पाणि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (कशायाः पाणिः/पाणिः कशायुक्तः) used as ‘whip-in-hand/whip’ (goad)

• व्यवस्थितम्: is set/placed
• व्यवस्थितम्: Kriya (Predicate participle/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + अव + स्था (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्यय (Past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; √स्था with उपसर्ग वि+अव; ‘placed/established’

Speaker

Nandīkeśvara (continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: (Implied) attendants/gaṇas; narrative audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A resplendent divine chariot flanked by eight elephants and eight swift horses; a central figure holds a whip poised—not in violence but as symbol of disciplined control; subtle aura suggests the mind being restrained like a well-trained team.

Characters & Entities

• Elephants
• Horses
• Mind-control (manaḥ-saṃyama)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Outer power (elephants, horses) is sanctified only when joined with inner mastery—restraint of the mind.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Still within the Kāśī sacred setting; the ‘where…where…’ phrases describe identifying marks of the auspicious locus in the narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual; it highlights mental discipline (manaḥ-saṃyama) as a necessary spiritual preparation.