Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

दुर्वृत्तसुप्रवृत्तेश्च निवृत्तिकरणीं सुराः । दक्षिणोत्तरदिग्भागे कृत्वाऽसिं वरणां सुराः

Transliteration

durvṛttasupravṛtteśca nivṛttikaraṇīṃ surāḥ | dakṣiṇottaradigbhāge kṛtvā'siṃ varaṇāṃ surāḥ

Translation

Afin d’opérer la retenue—détourner la conduite mauvaise et guider l’âme bien disposée—les dieux instituèrent ces puissances. Dans les quartiers du sud et du nord, ils établirent Asi et la Varaṇā.

Word by Word

• durvṛtta-supravṛtteḥ: of bad conduct and good conduct
• durvṛtta-supravṛtteḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: durvṛtta + supravṛtti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः—द्वन्द्व (इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व: दुर्वृत्तिः च सुप्रवृत्तिः च); स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine); षष्ठी (Genitive); एकवचन (Singular)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय—समुच्चय (conjunction)

• nivṛtti-karaṇīm: that which causes cessation/withdrawal
• nivṛtti-karaṇīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nivṛtti + karaṇī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः—तत्पुरुष (उपपद-तत्पुरुष: ‘निवृत्तिं करोति’); स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine); द्वितीया (Accusative); एकवचन (Singular)

• surāḥ: the gods
• surāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine); प्रथमा (Nominative); बहुवचन (Plural)

• dakṣiṇa-uttara-dig-bhāge: in the southern and northern directional region
• dakṣiṇa-uttara-dig-bhāge: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dakṣiṇa + uttara + diś + bhāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः—तत्पुरुष (दिशां भागः; दक्षिणोत्तरयोः दिशोः भागे इति); पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine); सप्तमी (Locative); एकवचन (Singular)

• kṛtvā: having made/created
• kṛtvā: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive)

• asim: a sword
• asim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine); द्वितीया (Accusative); एकवचन (Singular)

• varaṇām: Varaṇā (river)
• varaṇām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varaṇā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine); द्वितीया (Accusative); एकवचन (Singular)

• surāḥ: the gods
• surāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine); प्रथमा (Nominative); बहुवचन (Plural)

Speaker

Skanda (contextual, Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Asi and Varaṇā (boundary powers of Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A map-like sacred diagram: Kāśī in the center, with the southern boundary marked by a radiant sword-stream ‘Asi’ and the northern boundary by the river-goddess ‘Varaṇā’. Two groups of people: one turned back by a stern luminous force, another gently guided inward toward temples and ghāṭas.

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Asi
• Varaṇā
• Directions (south/north)
• Kāśī-kṣetra (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s sanctity is described as transformative: it restrains wrongdoing and stabilizes right conduct through divinely set boundaries.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The boundary-markers of Vārāṇasī—Asi and Varaṇā—central to Kāśī’s famed sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; the verse underlines the value of entering and dwelling within the properly sanctified kṣetra.