Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

शैलाकारं तमायांतं दृष्ट्वा भगवती गजम् । बद्ध्वा पाशेन जवतः खङ्गेन करमच्छिनत्

Transliteration

śailākāraṃ tamāyāṃtaṃ dṛṣṭvā bhagavatī gajam | baddhvā pāśena javataḥ khaṅgena karamacchinat

Translation

Als die selige Göttin den elefantenhaften Koloss, berggleich heranstürmend, erblickte, band sie ihn rasch mit der Schlinge und hieb ihm mit dem Schwert den Rüssel ab.

Word by Word

• शैलाकारम्: having the form of a mountain
• शैलाकारम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शैल + आकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; शैलस्य आकारः इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः; adjective to तम्

• तम्: him/that one
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• आयान्तम्: coming, approaching
• आयान्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ + या (धातु) → आयान्त् (वर्तमान-कृदन्त/शतृ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकाले कृदन्त; तम् इति विशेषण

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दृश् (धातु) → दृष्ट्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund); पूर्वक्रिया

• भगवती: the Goddess
• भगवती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• गजम्: the elephant
• गजम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• बद्ध्वा: having bound
• बद्ध्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: बन्ध् (धातु) → बद्ध्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund); पूर्वक्रिया

• पाशेन: with a noose
• पाशेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• जवतः: of the swift (one)
• जवतः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; गजस्य विशेषण (of the swift one)

• खङ्गेन: with a sword
• खङ्गेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: खङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• करम्: the hand (foreleg)
• करम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• अच्छिनत्: cut off
• अच्छिनत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: छिद् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/past), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa context, typically Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A mountain-bodied elephant-asura charges; the Goddess stands poised, casting a noose to bind it and raising a gleaming sword to sever the trunk in one swift arc.

Characters & Entities

• Bhagavatī (Goddess)
• Gaja (elephant-form demon)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine protection prevails in Kāśī: arrogance and violent force are restrained and purified by the Goddess’s dharmic power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader frame is Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), celebrated as a divinely protected sacred realm in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it is a narrative of the Goddess’s martial protection.