Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

आखुश्चाखुभुजः कर्णं कंडूयेत चलाननः । मयूरपुच्छपुटगो निद्रात्योतुः सुखाधिकम्

Transliteration

ākhuścākhubhujaḥ karṇaṃ kaṃḍūyeta calānanaḥ | mayūrapucchapuṭago nidrātyotuḥ sukhādhikam

Translation

Un rat, au museau frémissant, gratte l’oreille du mangeur de rats; et celui qui repose dans l’enceinte de la queue du paon dort profondément, avec un confort accru.

Word by Word

• ākhuḥ: a mouse/rat
• ākhuḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ākhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• ākhu-bhujaḥ: one with a mouse’s arm/forelimb
• ākhu-bhujaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject; coordinated)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ākhu (प्रातिपदिक) + bhuja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (आखोः भुजः/भुजा); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• karṇam: ear
• karṇam: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• kaṃḍūyeta: would scratch/itch (it)
• kaṃḍūyeta: Kriyā (क्रिया/Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kaṃḍū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• calānanaḥ: the one with a moving face
• calānanaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject; apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cala (प्रातिपदिक) + ānana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (चलम् आननम् यस्य); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• mayūra-puccha-puṭa-gaḥ: one situated in the fold of a peacock’s tail
• mayūra-puccha-puṭa-gaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mayūra (प्रातिपदिक) + puccha (प्रातिपदिक) + puṭa (प्रातिपदिक) + ga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (मयूरस्य पुच्छस्य पुटे गः = स्थितः); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• nidrā: sleep
• nidrā: Karta (कर्ता/Subject; of implied verb)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nidrā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (क्रियावाचक-भावे)

• atyotuḥ: has surpassed/exceeded
• atyotuḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया/Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ati (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + √u (धातु) → atyotuḥ
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; उपसर्ग-युक्त (ati-)

• sukha-adhikam: something greater than pleasure
• sukha-adhikam: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sukha (प्रातिपदिक) + adhika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (सुखात् अधिकम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kshetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A small rat gently scratching the ear of its natural enemy, who remains calm; nearby, a figure/creature rests within a fan-like peacock-tail enclosure, sleeping deeply in serene comfort.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Ākhu (rat)
• Mayūra (peacock)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The sacred field is shown as radically safe: even predator and prey coexist, indicating the peace that arises in proximity to the divine.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī-kṣetra in general.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.