Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 35

Devanagari script

गीर्वाणा विप्रतीकारमथ तस्य चिकीर्षवः । गुरुणा मंत्रयांचक्रुर्धर्मवर्त्मानुयायिनः

Transliteration

gīrvāṇā vipratīkāramatha tasya cikīrṣavaḥ | guruṇā maṃtrayāṃcakrurdharmavartmānuyāyinaḥ

Translation

Entonces los dioses, deseosos de urdir una contramedida contra él, deliberaron con su preceptor; ellos que se proclaman seguidores del sendero del dharma.

Word by Word

• गीर्वाणाः: the gods
• गीर्वाणाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गीर्वाण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; देवाः (gods) इति

• विप्रतीकारम्: a counter-measure
• विप्रतीकारम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्रतीकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; प्रतिकारः/प्रतिशोधः (counter-action)

• अथ: then
• अथ: Discourse particle (सम्बन्ध/अन्वय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अनन्तरार्थक अव्यय (then/now)

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; 'of him/that'

• चिकीर्षवः: wishing to do
• चिकीर्षवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चिकीर्षु (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √कृ (धातु) + सन्/इच्छार्थ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; इच्छार्थक विशेषण—'कर्तुमिच्छन्तः' (desirous to do)

• गुरुणा: with the guru
• गुरुणा: Karana/Sahakari (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; साधन/सहकारक—'with the teacher'

• मन्त्रयाम्: having consulted / to consult
• मन्त्रयाम्: Kriya (Verbal element/क्रिया-अङ्ग)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मन्त्रय् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परिप्रास/परफेक्ट) रूप-आदेशः; धात्वादेश-प्रयोगः 'मन्त्रयाम्' इति लिट्-आदेशः (periphrastic perfect element)

• चक्रुः: they did (i.e., they consulted)
• चक्रुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; 'they did' (auxiliary completing periphrastic perfect)

• धर्मवर्त्मानुयायिनः: followers of dharma’s path
• धर्मवर्त्मानुयायिनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धर्म-वर्त्म-अनुयायिन् (प्रातिपदिक); घटकाः: धर्म + वर्त्म + अनुयायिन्
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—'धर्मस्य वर्त्म' इति, तदनुयायिनः (followers of the path of dharma)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A sage/interlocutor in the Kāśī discourse (muni addressed in surrounding verses)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A celestial assembly: devas gathered in anxious deliberation, turning toward their preceptor for counsel; scrolls, sacrificial implements, and a sense of looming threat.

Characters & Entities

• Gīrvāṇa (Devas)
• Guru (Bṛhaspati)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even powerful beings should act through counsel and dharma, not impulse.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader Kāśī-kṣetra context frames the narrative, though no single tīrtha is named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse emphasizes dharmic deliberation (mantraṇā) rather than a rite.