Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

इति पारिषदाः शंभोर्महाभय भयप्रदाः जल्पंतः कल्पयामासुः प्राकारं गगनस्पृशम्

Transliteration

iti pāriṣadāḥ śaṃbhormahābhaya bhayapradāḥ jalpaṃtaḥ kalpayāmāsuḥ prākāraṃ gaganaspṛśam

Translation

So sprachen die Gefolgsleute Śaṃbhus, furchterregend in ihrer großen Angst; und miteinander schwatzend ersannen sie einen Wall, der sich erhob, als berühre er den Himmel.

Word by Word

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उक्त्यर्थक-अव्यय (quotative particle: thus)

• pāriṣadāḥ: attendants/courtiers
• pāriṣadāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāriṣada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• śaṃbhoḥ: of Śambhu (Śiva)
• śaṃbhoḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṃbhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• mahā-bhaya: great terror
• mahā-bhaya: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + bhaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-एकवचन (पद-रूपेण अव्यक्त); कर्मधारय (महच्च तत् भयम्) — भयप्रदाः इत्यस्य विशेषणार्थे

• bhaya-pradāḥ: fear-giving
• bhaya-pradāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhaya (प्रातिपदिक) + prada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (भयं प्रददाति इति) विशेषण (pāriṣadāḥ इत्यस्य)

• jalpantaḥ: speaking/prattling
• jalpantaḥ: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jalp (जल्प्) (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमान कृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• kalpayāmāsuḥ: they devised/constructed
• kalpayāmāsuḥ: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kḷp (कॢप्) (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्श/अनद्यतन-भूत; perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद; णिच्-प्रयोग (causative: ‘caused to be made/constructed’)

• prākāram: a rampart/wall
• prākāram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prākāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• gagana-spṛśam: sky-touching
• gagana-spṛśam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gagana (प्रातिपदिक) + spṛś (स्पृश्) (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (गगनं स्पृशति इति) विशेषण (prākāram इत्यस्य)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative voice to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A bustling band of gaṇas, still trembling with great fear yet fearsome to others, rapidly raising a colossal rampart that seems to scrape the sky over Kāśī.

Characters & Entities

• Śaṃbhu (Śiva)
• Pāriṣadas (attendants/gaṇas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Fear and pride can drive even divine beings into frantic action; true refuge is alignment with Śiva’s will.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative belongs to Kāśī’s Mahātmya in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, emphasizing the sanctity of Śiva’s protected domain.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it describes the attendants’ actions within the story.