Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

आ वैराजं प्रतिपदमुपसंहरते हरः । का कथा मशकाभानां नृणां मरणधर्मिणाम्

Transliteration

ā vairājaṃ pratipadamupasaṃharate haraḥ | kā kathā maśakābhānāṃ nṛṇāṃ maraṇadharmiṇām

Translation

Jusqu’au Virāja, Hara résorbe tout pas à pas. Que dire alors des hommes—fragiles comme des moucherons—dont la nature même est mortelle ?

Word by Word

• आ: up to; as far as
• आ: Sambandha (relation/limit)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपसर्ग/निपात (particle/prefix), अर्थः—आ-पर्यन्तम् (up to, as far as)

• वैराजम्: the Virāja (cosmic form/realm)
• वैराजम्: Karma (object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैराज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मपदम्

• प्रतिपदम्: step by step; at every step
• प्रतिपदम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रतिपद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• उपसंहरते: withdraws; draws back
• उपसंहरते: Kriyā (action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-सम्-हृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• हरः: Hara (Śiva)
• हरः: Karta (subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• का: what? which?
• का: Viśeṣaṇa (qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: किम् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम (interrogative pronoun)

• कथा: talk; account; story
• कथा: Karta (subject/topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• मशकाभानाम्: of those resembling mosquitoes
• मशकाभानाम्: Sambandha (genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मशक + आभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुव्रीह्यर्थे तत्पुरुषसमास (मशक-आभ = mosquito-like); पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन

• नृणाम्: of men
• नृणाम्: Sambandha (genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन

• मरणधर्मिणाम्: of those whose nature is death; mortal
• मरणधर्मिणाम्: Sambandha (genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मरण + धर्मिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (मरणस्य धर्मः यस्य = having death as nature); पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

Speaker

Brahmā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vast cosmic tableau: Hara as Mahākāla withdraws worlds in stages up to Virāja; below, tiny human figures likened to gnats hover near a lamp, emphasizing fragility against the cosmic night.

Characters & Entities

• Hara (Śiva)
• Virāja

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva’s power of dissolution reveals the fragility of embodied life; awareness of death urges dharma and spiritual urgency.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is part of the Kāśī-khaṇḍa setting; Kāśī is the overarching liberating field where reflection on death leads to higher realization.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is an exhortation through contemplation of mortality.