Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

उवाच वचनं राजन्रिपुंजय महामते । इलां पालय भूपाल ससमुद्राद्रिकाननाम्

Transliteration

uvāca vacanaṃ rājanripuṃjaya mahāmate | ilāṃ pālaya bhūpāla sasamudrādrikānanām

Translation

Et il prononça ces paroles : «Ô roi Ripuṃjaya, au grand esprit ; ô gardien de la terre : gouverne et protège ce monde, avec ses océans, ses montagnes et ses forêts».

Word by Word

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम

• vacanam: words; speech
• vacanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vacana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• rājan: O king
• rājan: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• ripuṃjaya: O Ripumjaya
• ripuṃjaya: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ripu (प्रातिपदिक) + jaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (रिपूणां जयः)

• mahāmate: O great-minded one
• mahāmate: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + mati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महती मतिः यस्य)

• ilām: the earth (Ilā)
• ilām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ilā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• pālaya: protect; rule
• pālaya: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √pāl (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम

• bhūpāla: O protector of the earth
• bhūpāla: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhū (प्रातिपदिक) + pāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (भूः पालयति इति)

• sa: together with
• sa: Sambandha (Associative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sa (सह-प्रातिपदिक/उपसर्गार्थ)
• Form: सह-अर्थक अव्यय/उपपद (with)

• samudra: oceans
• samudra: Sambandha (Part of compound/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: samudra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental) बहुवचनार्थे समासाङ्ग (in compound)

• adri: mountains
• adri: Sambandha (Part of compound/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental) बहुवचनार्थे समासाङ्ग (in compound)

• kānana: forests
• kānana: Sambandha (Part of compound/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kānana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental) बहुवचनार्थे समासाङ्ग (in compound)

• sasamudrādrikānanām: (the earth) with oceans, mountains, and forests
• sasamudrādrikānanām: Visheshana (Qualifier of ilām/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (अव्यय) + samudra (प्रातिपदिक) + adri (प्रातिपदिक) + kānana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः/बहुव्रीह्यर्थे विशेषणम्: ‘स-समुद्र-अद्रि-कानना’ (having oceans, mountains, forests)

Speaker

Brahmā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā addresses the king with a raised hand of instruction; behind them, symbolic oceans, mountains, and forests appear as a cosmic map or mural in the court.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Ripuṃjaya
• Ilā (Earth)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kingship is framed as dharmic guardianship of the whole created order, not mere domination.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Indirectly Kāśī, since the Kāśīkhaṇḍa uses righteous rule as part of Kāśī’s sacred history; no single tirtha is named in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is an ethical injunction (rājadharma) to protect the realm.