Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

दुष्टप्रवेशं धुन्वानां धुनीं देवा विनिर्ममुः । वरणां च व्यधुस्तत्र क्षेत्रविघ्ननिवारिणीम्

Transliteration

duṣṭapraveśaṃ dhunvānāṃ dhunīṃ devā vinirmamuḥ | varaṇāṃ ca vyadhustatra kṣetravighnanivāriṇīm

Translation

The gods fashioned a sacred stream that shakes off and repels the entry of the wicked. There they also established the Varaṇā, the remover of obstacles that threaten the holy kṣetra.

Word by Word

• duṣṭa-praveśam: entry of the wicked / wicked entry
• duṣṭa-praveśam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: duṣṭa + praveśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः—तत्पुरुष (कर्मधारयार्थः: ‘दुष्टः प्रवेशः’); पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine); द्वितीया (Accusative); एकवचन (Singular)

• dhunvānām: of those who are shaking/driving away
• dhunvānām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhunvān (धुन्वत्; धातु: dhū/धू)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (Present active participle/शतृ-प्रत्यय); पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine); षष्ठी (Genitive); बहुवचन (Plural)

• dhunīm: a river/stream (Dhunī)
• dhunīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhunī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine); द्वितीया (Accusative); एकवचन (Singular)

• devāḥ: the gods
• devāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine); प्रथमा (Nominative); बहुवचन (Plural)

• vinirmamuḥ: they fashioned/created
• vinirmamuḥ: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi + nir + mā (धातु)
• Form: लकारः—लिट् (Perfect); पुरुषः—प्रथम (3rd); वचनम्—बहुवचन (Plural); परस्मैपदम्

• varaṇām: Varaṇā (river)
• varaṇām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varaṇā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine); द्वितीया (Accusative); एकवचन (Singular)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय—समुच्चय (conjunction)

• vyadhuḥ: they placed/arranged
• vyadhuḥ: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi + dhā (धातु)
• Form: लकारः—लिट् (Perfect); पुरुषः—प्रथम (3rd); वचनम्—बहुवचन (Plural); परस्मैपदम्

• tatra: there
• tatra: Desha (Place/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय—देशवाचक (indeclinable adverb of place)

• kṣetra-vighna-nivāriṇīm: remover of obstacles to the sacred field
• kṣetra-vighna-nivāriṇīm: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṣetra + vighna + nivāriṇī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः—तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थः: ‘क्षेत्रस्य विघ्नानां निवारिणी’); स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine); द्वितीया (Accusative); एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Skanda (contextual, Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Varaṇā (Varuna) and Dhūnī

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devas conjure a bright, swirling stream (Dhūnī) that forms a protective moat; shadowy ‘wicked’ figures are gently but firmly pushed back by the current. Nearby, the river-goddess Varaṇā arises, holding a lotus and a noose-like symbol of restraint, clearing thorny obstacles from the kṣetra’s perimeter.

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Dhūnī (sacred stream)
• Varaṇā River
• Kāśī-kṣetra (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The holy geography itself is portrayed as morally discerning—repelling the wicked and protecting dharmic pursuit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī’s sacred rivers, especially the Varaṇā, integral to the identity of Vārāṇasī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated, but the imagery supports the merit of approaching Kāśī through its sanctified waters.