Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 58

Devanagari script

अन्यच्च कथयाम्यत्र शृण्वंत्वेते दिवौकसः । ढुंढिना क्षेत्ररक्षार्थं यत्रयत्र स्थितिः कृता

Transliteration

anyacca kathayāmyatra śṛṇvaṃtvete divaukasaḥ | ḍhuṃḍhinā kṣetrarakṣārthaṃ yatrayatra sthitiḥ kṛtā

Translation

Und ferner will ich hier noch sagen—hört zu, ihr Himmelsbewohner—wo immer Ḍhuṃḍhi eine Stätte zum Schutz des heiligen Kṣetra errichtet hat.

Word by Word

• अन्यत्: another (matter)
• अन्यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; ‘another (thing)’

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• कथयामि: I tell
• कथयामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कथ् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Place/अधिकरण-देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषणम् (adverb of place)

• शृण्वन्तु: let (them) hear
• शृण्वन्तु: Kriya (Imperative/आज्ञा)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• एते: these
• एते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• दिवौकसः: celestial beings
• दिवौकसः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिव्-ओकस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; ‘दिवि ओकः यस्य’ इति (heaven-dwellers)

• ढुंढिना: by Ḍhuṃḍhi
• ढुंढिना: Karana/Agent-in-passive (Instrument/कर्ता-हेतुः)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ढुंढि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन

• क्षेत्ररक्षार्थम्: for protecting the sacred area
• क्षेत्ररक्षार्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्षेत्र-रक्षा-अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावसमास; अर्थे (purpose) ‘for the sake of’

• यत्रयत्र: wherever
• यत्रयत्र: Adhikarana (Place/अधिकरण-देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र-यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरुक्त-अव्ययम् (distributive adverb)

• स्थितिः: station/abode
• स्थितिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थिति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• कृता: made/established
• कृता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत (कृदन्त; √कृ धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; स्थितिः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (kṣetra-rakṣā network)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Divaukas (devas) explicitly; secondarily human pilgrims

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Skanda (or the narrator) addresses devas; a map-like sacred field of Kāśī is shown with multiple guardian posts, each marked by a gaṇa or Vināyaka figure standing watch at thresholds and crossroads.

Characters & Entities

• Ḍhuṃḍhi (Vināyaka/Gaṇeśa)
• Divaukasaḥ (celestials)
• Kṣetra (Kāśī-kṣetra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places are protected by divine guardians; knowing their stations strengthens faith in the kṣetra’s sanctity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī-kṣetra as a divinely protected sacred geography, guarded through Vināyaka manifestations.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An implied instruction to hear/learn and then honor the guardian-stations (sthiti) established for kṣetra-rakṣā.