Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 83

Devanagari script

अपि सर्वगते क्वापि भिक्षां मा यच्छ सुंदरि । तथेत्युक्ता भवानी सा भवं भवनिवारणम्

Transliteration

api sarvagate kvāpi bhikṣāṃ mā yaccha suṃdari | tathetyuktā bhavānī sā bhavaṃ bhavanivāraṇam

Translation

„Auch wenn er überallhin gehen mag, o Schöne, gib ihm nirgends Almosen.“ So angesprochen, stimmte Bhavānī—die das weltliche Werden aufhebt—zu.

Word by Word

• अपि: even, also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सम्भावना/अन्वयार्थक-निपात (even/also)

• सर्वगते: in (him) who goes everywhere / all-pervading
• सर्वगते: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व-गत (प्रातिपदिक; सर्व; गत < √गम् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; ‘(व्यासे)’ इति अध्याहृतस्य विशेषणम् (locative)

• क्वापि: anywhere
• क्वापि: Adhikarana (Place/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्व + अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (anywhere)

• भिक्षाम्: alms
• भिक्षाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भिक्षा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• मा: do not
• मा: Pratishedha (Prohibition/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेधार्थक-निपात (prohibitive particle)

• यच्छ: give
• यच्छ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √यम् (धातु) (यच्छ = 2nd sg. imperative of यच्छति)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; निषेध ‘मा’ सह

• सुन्दरि: O beautiful one
• सुन्दरि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुन्दरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन

• तथा: so, thus
• तथा: Sambandha (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (so/thus)

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation/उद्धरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इति-शब्दः (quotative)

• उक्ता: having been told / addressed
• उक्ता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √वच् (धातु) + क्त (उक्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; ‘भवानी’ इति विशेषणम्

• भवानी: Bhavānī (Pārvatī)
• भवानी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भवानी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• भवम्: Bhava (Śiva)
• भवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• भवनिवारणम्: remover of worldly existence
• भवनिवारणम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भव-निवारण (प्रातिपदिक; भव (संसार); निवारण < नि-√वृ (धातु) + ल्युट्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; ‘भवम्’ इति विशेषणम् (apposition)

Speaker

Śiva (Hara) speaking to Devī; narrated within Skanda’s discourse (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Purāṇic audience (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva instructs Pārvatī with a calm but firm gesture; Pārvatī listens and assents, her expression compassionate yet resolute—suggesting that the forthcoming denial of alms is purposeful, not cruel.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Hara)
• Bhavānī (Pārvatī)
• Vyāsa
• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual maturity is proven when support is withdrawn; endurance and faith remain steady even under divine testing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī, portrayed as the arena of Śiva-Śakti līlā that refines the saintly.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No new rite is prescribed; the verse concerns the alms practice (bhikṣā) being deliberately withheld as a test.