Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

बृहस्पतिरुवाच । यदि त्वं देवराजेमां ब्रह्महत्यां सुदुस्त्यजाम् । अपानुनुत्सुस्तद्याहि काशीं विश्वेशपालिताम्

Transliteration

bṛhaspatiruvāca | yadi tvaṃ devarājemāṃ brahmahatyāṃ sudustyajām | apānunutsustadyāhi kāśīṃ viśveśapālitām

Translation

Bṛhaspati sprach: O König der Götter, wenn du diese schwere, kaum abzuwerfende Sünde des Brahmanenmordes vertreiben willst, dann geh nach Kāśī, beschützt von Herrn Viśveśa.

Word by Word

• bṛhaspatiḥ: Bṛhaspati
• bṛhaspatiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bṛhaspati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्धबोधक-अव्यय (conditional particle)

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• devarāja: O king of the gods
• devarāja: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva-rāja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (devasya rājā)

• imām: this
• imām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: idam (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• brahmahatyām: Brahmin-slaying (sin)
• brahmahatyām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahmahatyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (brahmaṇaḥ hatyā)

• sudustyajām: very hard to abandon
• sudustyajām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su-dus-tyaj (त्यज् धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त-विशेषण, त्यज्-धातोः शक्य/त्याज्य-अर्थे (दुस्त्यज = hard to abandon) उपसर्ग-युक्त; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• apānunutsuḥ: wishing to drive away
• apānunutsuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: apa-ā-nud (नुद् धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (इच्छार्थक/तुमुन्-समर्थ) ‘अपानुनुत्सु’ = हटयितुमिच्छन्; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• tat: then/that
• tat: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोगे अव्ययवत् (correlative particle)

• yāhi: go
• yāhi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yā (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• kāśīm: to Kāśī
• kāśīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• viśveśa-pālitām: protected by Viśveśa
• viśveśa-pālitām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viśveśa-pālita (पाल् धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त-भूतकर्मणि (past passive participle) ‘पालित’; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); तृतीया/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थे (viśveśena pālitā = protected by Viśveśa)

Speaker

Bṛhaspati

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta), Viśveśa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Indra (Devarāja, Śakra)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Bṛhaspati, serene and authoritative, instructs Indra burdened by brahmahatyā to go to Kāśī, the city under Viśveśa’s protection; distant vision of ghāṭas and the Viśvanātha shrine aura.

Characters & Entities

• Bṛhaspati
• Indra (Devarāja/Śakra)
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Viśveśa (Śiva)
• Brahmahatyā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even the gravest karmic stains are said to be removable by taking refuge in Kāśī under the protection of Viśveśa (Śiva).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), especially as the city protected by Viśveśa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A direct injunction to go to Kāśī; no specific dāna/snān/japa is named in this verse.