Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

यावदित्थं कथां चक्रुस्तावत्संयमिनीपतिः । धर्मराजोभिसंप्राप्तो देवदुंदुभि निःस्वनैः

Transliteration

yāvaditthaṃ kathāṃ cakrustāvatsaṃyaminīpatiḥ | dharmarājobhisaṃprāpto devaduṃdubhi niḥsvanaiḥ

Translation

Tandis qu’ils s’entretenaient ainsi, Dharmarāja, seigneur de Saṁyamanī, y parvint, accompagné du fracas retentissant des timbales célestes.

Word by Word

• yāvat: as long as, while
• yāvat: Adhikarana (Temporal setting/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yāvat (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययम्; कालपरिमाणार्थक-सम्बन्धबोधक (as long as/while)

• ittham: thus
• ittham: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ittham (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; प्रकारवाचक (thus, in this manner)

• kathām: story, talk
• kathām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kathā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• cakruḥ: they did/made
• cakruḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद; प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन

• tāvat: so long, then
• tāvat: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tāvat (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; तावदर्थक (so long/then)

• saṃyaminī-patiḥ: lord of Saṃyaminī (Yama)
• saṃyaminī-patiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃyaminī (प्रातिपदिक) + pati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (saṃyaminīyāḥ patiḥ)

• dharma-rājaḥ: King of Dharma (Yama)
• dharma-rājaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + rāja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (dharmasya rājā)

• abhisaṃprāptaḥ: having arrived, approached
• abhisaṃprāptaḥ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: abhi-saṃ-√prāp (धातु) + ta (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त), भूतकर्मणि/भूतकृत्; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• deva-dundubhi-niḥsvanaiḥ: with the sounds of divine drums
• deva-dundubhi-niḥsvanaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + dundubhi (प्रातिपदिक) + niḥsvana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), बहुवचन; समासः (देवदुन्दुभीनां निःस्वनैः)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration within Kāśīkhaṇḍa; traditionally Skanda to Agastya in Kāśīkhaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Muktipurī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrim-audience within the Purāṇic frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant Dharmarāja arrives from Saṁyamanī amid booming deva-dundubhis, descending into the luminous Kāśī setting where sages converse; the air vibrates with celestial percussion.

Characters & Entities

• Dharmarāja (Yama)
• Saṁyamanī
• Deva-dundubhi

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is portrayed as a living authority—Dharmarāja himself appears, underscoring that moral conduct is witnessed and affirmed.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting is Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, where dharma and liberation are repeatedly celebrated.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed in this verse; it introduces Dharmarāja’s arrival as part of the narrative.