Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

मादृश्यो मंदभाग्यायाः प्रमदासु प्रतिष्ठिताः । केवलं राजपत्नीत्ववादस्तासु न तद्रुचिः

Transliteration

mādṛśyo maṃdabhāgyāyāḥ pramadāsu pratiṣṭhitāḥ | kevalaṃ rājapatnītvavādastāsu na tadruciḥ

Translation

Des femmes comme moi, au destin chiche, peuvent être admises parmi les dames du palais; mais pour elles ce n’est que le titre d’« épouse du roi »—sans joie véritable ni considération.

Word by Word

• मादृश्यः: like me / of my kind
• मादृश्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मादृश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण (adjectival use)

• मन्दभाग्यायाः: of the ill-fated (woman)
• मन्दभाग्यायाः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मन्द-भाग्य (प्रातिपदिक); मन्द (विशेषण) + भाग्य (संज्ञा)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying a feminine noun understood)

• प्रमदासु: among women
• प्रमदासु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रमदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन

• प्रतिष्ठिताः: established / placed
• प्रतिष्ठिताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र-स्था (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• केवलम्: only / merely
• केवलम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: केवल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-विशेषण (adverbial)

• राजपत्नीत्ववादः: the claim/argument of being a king’s wife
• राजपत्नीत्ववादः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राज-पत्नी-त्व-वाद (प्रातिपदिक); राज (संज्ञा) + पत्नी (संज्ञा) + त्व (भावप्रत्यय) + वाद (संज्ञा)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• तासु: in/among them
• तासु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation particle)

• तद्रुचिः: liking for that / interest in that
• तद्रुचिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम) + रुचि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Sunīti

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A palace interior: a modest queen/consort stands slightly apart from richly adorned women; her face shows restrained sadness as she reflects on the emptiness of the title ‘king’s wife’.

Characters & Entities

• Sunīti

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly rank without inner contentment or genuine regard is empty; dharma encourages humility and detachment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None is named; the verse is ethical reflection within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa storyline.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is stated; the focus is on insight into the limits of social status.