Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

द्विजराजः स गर्विष्ठो रोहिणीप्रेमनिर्भरः । कृत्तिकादिषु चास्नेही मया शप्तः क्षयीकृतः

Transliteration

dvijarājaḥ sa garviṣṭho rohiṇīpremanirbharaḥ | kṛttikādiṣu cāsnehī mayā śaptaḥ kṣayīkṛtaḥ

Translation

Jener Herr der Zweimalgeborenen (der Mond), vom Hochmut aufgebläht, ganz in Liebe zu Rohiṇī versunken und ohne Zuneigung zu Kṛttikā und den übrigen Gemahlinnen, wurde von mir verflucht und dadurch zum Dahinschwinden gebracht.

Word by Word

• द्विजराजः: king of the twice-born (i.e., the Moon)
• द्विजराजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज + राज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (द्विजानां राजा)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• गर्विष्ठः: most proud, very arrogant
• गर्विष्ठः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गर्विष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक; गर्व + इष्ठ-प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (superlative)

• रोहिणीप्रेमनिर्भरः: absorbed in love for Rohiṇī
• रोहिणीप्रेमनिर्भरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रोहिणी + प्रेम + निर्भर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण; तत्पुरुषः (रोहिण्याः प्रेम्णि निर्भरः = dependent on love for Rohiṇī)

• कृत्तिकादिषु: among the Kṛttikās and others
• कृत्तिकादिषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृत्तिका + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (कृत्तिका-प्रधान), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (कृत्तिकाः आदयः येषु)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• अस्नेही: unaffectionate, not loving
• अस्नेही: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अस्नेहिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• शप्तः: cursed
• शप्तः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शप् (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगार्थः

• क्षयीकृतः: made to waste away, reduced to decay
• क्षयीकृतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्षयी + कृ (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘क्षयी-कृत’ = क्षययुक्तः कृतः

Speaker

Dakṣa Prajāpati (implied by the surrounding narrative of Dakṣa’s actions and grievance)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Dakṣa’s curse takes effect: the radiant Moon, once full and proud, begins to pale and diminish; Rohiṇī stands favored while Kṛttikā and other nakṣatra-wives appear slighted, their faces sorrowful; the cosmic sky becomes the stage of moral consequence.

Characters & Entities

• Candra (Moon)
• Rohiṇī
• Kṛttikā(s)
• Dakṣa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Partiality born of pride leads to imbalance and downfall; dharma requires fairness and restraint of attachment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named in this verse; it belongs to the Kāśī-khaṇḍa’s broader sacred narrative frame.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it is a mythic-ethical account (ākhyāna) explaining a curse and its consequence.