Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 95

Devanagari script

वरदाद्यातुधान्यां च यातुधानगणावृतः । देवः पिचिंडिलो नाम पुरीं रक्षेदहर्निशम्

Transliteration

varadādyātudhānyāṃ ca yātudhānagaṇāvṛtaḥ | devaḥ piciṃḍilo nāma purīṃ rakṣedaharniśam

Translation

Von Varada her, im Bezirk der Yātudhānas, von ihren Scharen umgeben, beschützt der Gott namens Piciṃḍila die Stadt bei Tag und bei Nacht.

Word by Word

• वरदात्: from Varada
• वरदात्: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वरद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• यातुधान्याम्: in Yātudhānī (a direction/region)
• यातुधान्याम्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यातुधानी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha/Conjunction
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)

• यातुधानगणावृतः: surrounded by a troop of yātudhānas (demons)
• यातुधानगणावृतः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यातुधान + गण + आवृत (वृ धातु, क्त/कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तृतीया-तत्पुरुषः (यातुधानगणैः आवृतः); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त

• देवः: the deity
• देवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• पिचिण्डिलः: Piciṇḍila (name)
• पिचिण्डिलः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिचिण्डिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• नाम: named
• नाम: Sambandha/Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; नाम-शब्दः (quotative/नामार्थक particle)

• पुरीम्: the city
• पुरीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• रक्षेत्: may (he) protect
• रक्षेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: रक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/संभावना), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अहर्निशम्: day and night
• अहर्निशम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अहर् + निशा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; द्वन्द्व-समासः (अहश्च निशा च) अव्ययीभाववत् क्रियाविशेषण-प्रयोगः

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Piciṃḍila (directional guardian of Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣi audience / internal Kāśī interlocutors

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Piciṃḍila stands as a vigilant guardian with a retinue of yātudhāna figures rendered as subdued attendants rather than threats; night and day are shown in a split scene—moonlit ghāṭs and sunlit temples—signifying unbroken protection over Kāśī.

Characters & Entities

• Varada
• Piciṃḍila (deity/guardian)
• Yātudhānas
• Kāśī (Purī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s protection is comprehensive—divine guardianship extends over all quarters, even those associated with fearsome beings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) as a continuously protected sacred city.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None stated; the verse emphasizes perpetual protective presence (aharniśam rakṣā).