Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

कालाक्षोरण भद्रस्तु कौलेयः कालकंपनः । एते पूर्वेण रक्षंति गंगापारे स्थिता गणाः

Transliteration

kālākṣoraṇa bhadrastu kauleyaḥ kālakaṃpanaḥ | ete pūrveṇa rakṣaṃti gaṃgāpāre sthitā gaṇāḥ

Translation

Kālākṣa, Oraṇabhadra, Kauleya und Kālakaṃpana—diese Gaṇas, am jenseitigen Ufer der Gaṅgā aufgestellt, schützen die Ostseite.

Word by Word

• कालाक्षोरण: Kālākṣoraṇa (proper name)
• कालाक्षोरण: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल + अक्ष + उरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नाम; तत्पुरुष-समास (काल-अक्ष-उरण)

• भद्रः: Bhadra
• भद्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नाम/विशेषणरूपेण

• तु: and/but
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (contrast/emphasis)

• कौलेयः: Kauleya
• कौलेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौलेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नाम

• कालकंपनः: Kālakampana
• कालकंपनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल + कंपन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (कालस्य कंपनः) नाम

• एते: these
• एते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• पूर्वेण: on the eastern side / by the east
• पूर्वेण: Adhikarana (Locative sense via Instrumental/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; दिक्-निर्देशे अव्ययीभावार्थे (by the east/ on the eastern side)

• रक्षन्ति: protect
• रक्षन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: रक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• गंगापारे: on the far bank of the Ganges
• गंगापारे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा + पार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (गङ्गायाः पारः)

• स्थिताः: stationed
• स्थिताः: Karta (Subject-Qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्था (धातु) + स्थित (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त), विशेषण

• गणाः: gaṇas (attendant hosts)
• गणाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā at Kāśī (gaṅgā-pāra boundary)

Type: sangam

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On the far bank of the Gaṅgā, a line of gaṇas—Kālākṣa, Oraṇabhadra, Kauleya, Kālakaṃpana—stand watch facing Kāśī, with moonlit water between, boats drifting, and the city’s temples silhouetted.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Gaṅgā
• Kālākṣa
• Oraṇabhadra
• Kauleya
• Kālakaṃpana
• Gaṇas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even the river-banks and borders of Kāśī are integrated into a sacred protective order, affirming the kṣetra’s inviolability.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī in relation to the Gaṅgā—especially the eastern side across the river.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse catalogs protective gaṇas and their placement.