Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 55

Devanagari script

त्वदेकशरणां वत्स बत मृत्युर्जिघांसति । रक्षरक्ष गतासुं मां शरणागतवत्सल

Transliteration

tvadekaśaraṇāṃ vatsa bata mṛtyurjighāṃsati | rakṣarakṣa gatāsuṃ māṃ śaraṇāgatavatsala

Translation

Ô mon enfant, je n’ai d’autre refuge que toi—hélas, la Mort veut me frapper. Protège-moi, protège-moi ; je suis comme sans souffle. Ô toi qui chéris ceux qui cherchent refuge !

Word by Word

• tvad-eka-śaraṇām: (me) who has you alone as refuge
• tvad-eka-śaraṇām: Karma (Object complement; addressed as ‘me’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tvad (प्रातिपदिक) + eka (प्रातिपदिक) + śaraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: ‘tvam eva śaraṇam yasyāḥ’ (having you alone as refuge)

• vatsa: dear child
• vatsa: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vatsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• bata: alas! indeed
• bata: Bhāva-prakāśaka (Expletive/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bata (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विस्मय/खेदसूचक निपात (particle of lament/emphasis)

• mṛtyuḥ: death
• mṛtyuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mṛtyu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• jighāṃsati: wishes to kill
• jighāṃsati: Kriyā (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √han (धातु) [desiderative]
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; सन्नन्त (desiderative) ‘jighāṃs-’ = ‘to wish to kill’

• rakṣa: protect!
• rakṣa: Kriyā (Command)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √rakṣ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• rakṣa: protect!
• rakṣa: Kriyā (Command)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √rakṣ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; पुनरुक्ति (repetition for urgency)

• gata-āsūm: lifeless, whose breath is gone
• gata-āsūm: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective of māṃ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gata (√gam, धातु; क्त) + asu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि: ‘gatāḥ āsavaḥ yasyāḥ’ = ‘whose life-breaths have gone’

• mām: me
• mām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• śaraṇāgata-vatsala: O lover of those who seek refuge
• śaraṇāgata-vatsala: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śaraṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + āgata (√gam, क्त) + vatsala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: ‘śaraṇam āgatān prati vatsalaḥ’ (affectionate to those who seek refuge)

Speaker

The deceptive female figure (Sunīti-form) within Skanda’s narration

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The pleading woman clasps her hands, leaning forward in desperation, eyes wide with fear; her words ‘rakṣa rakṣa’ seem to ripple the air, while a shadowy presence of ‘Mṛtyu’ looms faintly behind as an allegory.

Characters & Entities

• Mṛtyu (Death)
• Śaraṇāgata-vatsala (epithet: protector of refugees)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The language of surrender can be misused by illusion; true śaraṇāgati requires discernment and alignment with dharma, not mere emotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī—where the Purāṇa teaches both devotion (refuge) and wisdom (discrimination) as twin supports of pilgrimage.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is mentioned; the verse is a plea for protection within the narrative.