Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

रक्षणीयो यदि भवेत्कामः कामारिणा कथम् । क्षणादनंगतां नीतो बहूनां सुखकार्यपि

Transliteration

rakṣaṇīyo yadi bhavetkāmaḥ kāmāriṇā katham | kṣaṇādanaṃgatāṃ nīto bahūnāṃ sukhakāryapi

Translation

Si le plaisir (kāma) était réellement chose à protéger, comment «l’ennemi de Kāma» a-t-il pu, en un instant, réduire Kāma à l’état sans corps, alors même qu’on dit qu’il procure la joie à tant d’êtres ?

Word by Word

• rakṣaṇīyaḥ: to be protected, protectable
• rakṣaṇīyaḥ: Predicate complement (विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rakṣ (धातु) + anīya (अनीयर्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त (भाव्य/gerundive), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषणम्

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha/Conjunction (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्धबोधक-अव्यय (conditional conjunction)

• bhavet: would be
• bhavet: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• kāmaḥ: Kāma (desire / the god of love)
• kāmaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• kāma-ariṇā: by the enemy of Kāma (Śiva)
• kāma-ariṇā: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāma (प्रातिपदिक) + ari (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (kāmasya ariḥ); पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• katham: how?
• katham: Prashna (प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: katham (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• kṣaṇāt: in a moment / from a moment
• kṣaṇāt: Apadana (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• anaṅga-tām: bodilessness (state of being Anaṅga)
• anaṅga-tām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anaṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + tā (ताप्रत्यय/भाव)
• Form: कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-भावनिर्माण; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; गत्यर्थक-क्रियायाः कर्म

• nītaḥ: was reduced/brought
• nītaḥ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: nī (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगे ‘was led/brought’

• bahūnām: of many
• bahūnām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• sukha-kāryaḥ: bringing pleasure
• sukha-kāryaḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sukha (प्रातिपदिक) + kārya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (sukhasya kāryaḥ / sukhaṃ karoti); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; kāmaḥ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• api: even, although
• api: Sambandha/Particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-निपात (concessive/additive particle)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśī-khaṇḍa norm: Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva as Kāmāri opens the third eye; Kāma collapses into bodilessness, while sages and pilgrims in Kāśī witness the lesson—desire dissolving like smoke over the Gaṅgā.

Characters & Entities

• Kāma
• Kāmāri (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Desire is unstable and cannot be relied upon for lasting security; Śiva’s supremacy illustrates the need to prioritize Dharma and liberation-oriented life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse supports the Kāśī Mahātmya theme: in Kāśī, Śiva-centered Dharma is superior to worldly desire.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is stated; the verse functions as doctrinal instruction encouraging detachment from kāma.