Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

वरणायास्तटे रम्ये गणौ हुंडनमुंडनौ । क्षेत्ररक्षां विधत्तस्तौ विघ्नस्तंभन कारकौ

Transliteration

varaṇāyāstaṭe ramye gaṇau huṃḍanamuṃḍanau | kṣetrarakṣāṃ vidhattastau vighnastaṃbhana kārakau

Translation

Am lieblichen Ufer der Varaṇā sind zwei Gaṇas, Huṃḍana und Muṃḍana. Sie wahren den Schutz des heiligen Kṣetra und sind die, welche Hindernisse hemmen und festhalten.

Word by Word

• वरणायाः: of (the river) Varaṇā
• वरणायाः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वरणा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

• तटे: on the bank
• तटे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• रम्ये: beautiful, charming
• रम्ये: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रम्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying तटे)

• गणौ: two attendants (gaṇas)
• गणौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), द्विवचन

• हुंडनमुंडनौ: Huṇḍana and Muṇḍana
• हुंडनमुंडनौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हुंडन + मुंडन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), द्विवचन; द्वन्द्व-समास (itaretara-dvandva)

• क्षेत्ररक्षाम्: protection of the sacred area
• क्षेत्ररक्षाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र + रक्षा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (क्षेत्रस्य रक्षा)

• विधत्तः: they arrange/provide
• विधत्तः: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + धा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), द्विवचन; परस्मैपद

• तौ: those two
• तौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), द्विवचन; सर्वनाम

• विघ्नस्तंभन: obstruction-stopping (hindrance-paralyzing)
• विघ्नस्तंभन: Viśeṣaṇa (Predicate qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विघ्न + स्तंभन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (विघ्नानां स्तंभनम्)

• कारकौ: agents/doers
• कारकौ: Karta (Subject complement/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), द्विवचन; विधत्तः/तौ इत्यस्य विशेषणम् (predicate noun)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; Kāśīkhaṇḍa discourse traditionally framed as Skanda’s teaching)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Varaṇā-taṭa (within Kāśī-kṣetra)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On the serene riverbank of the Varaṇā, two formidable yet auspicious gaṇas—Huṃḍana and Muṃḍana—stand as guardians, their presence ‘pinning down’ obstacles at the threshold of the sacred precinct.

Characters & Entities

• Varaṇā (river)
• Huṃḍana
• Muṃḍana
• Gaṇa
• Kāśī-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is portrayed as a divinely protected kṣetra where obstacles to dharma and pilgrimage are restrained by Śiva’s gaṇas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The delightful bank of the river Varaṇā within the Kāśī-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated here; the verse establishes the protective presence of the gaṇas at the site.