Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

काशी रजोपि यन्मूर्ध्नि पतेदप्यनिलाहतम् । चंद्रशेखरतन्मूर्धा भवेच्चंद्रकलांकितः

Transliteration

kāśī rajopi yanmūrdhni patedapyanilāhatam | caṃdraśekharatanmūrdhā bhaveccaṃdrakalāṃkitaḥ

Translation

Quand bien même un grain de poussière de Kāśī, poussé par le vent, tomberait sur la tête, sa tête devient telle celle de Candraśekhara (Śiva), ornée du croissant de lune.

Word by Word

• काशी: Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• काशी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• रजः: dust
• रजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रजस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अपि-अर्थे ‘even/also’

• यत्: which/that (relative)
• यत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun)

• मूर्ध्नि: on (the) head
• मूर्ध्नि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूर्धन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• पतेत्: should fall
• पतेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्/विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), ‘even/also’

• अनिलाहतम्: struck by wind
• अनिलाहतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनिल (प्रातिपदिक) + आहत (कृदन्त, √हन्)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (तृतीया-तत्पुरुष: अनिलेन आहतम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त)

• चन्द्रशेखर-तत्-मूर्धा: (it becomes) the head of Chandrasekhara (Śiva)
• चन्द्रशेखर-तत्-मूर्धा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चन्द्रशेखर (प्रातिपदिक) + तत् (सर्वनाम) + मूर्धन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: चन्द्रशेखरस्य तत् मूर्धा); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• चन्द्रकलाङ्कितः: marked/adorned with the moon’s crescent
• चन्द्रकलाङ्कितः: Karta (Predicate/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चन्द्रकला (प्रातिपदिक) + अङ्कित (कृदन्त, √अङ्क्)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (तृतीया/षष्ठीभाव: चन्द्रकलया/चन्द्रकलायाः अङ्कितः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context: Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (dust of Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage-inquirer audience (ṛṣis/śaunaka-lineage typical frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim in Kāśī’s narrow lane; a gust lifts golden dust that settles on his head; above, Candraśekhara Śiva is envisioned with the crescent moon, blessing the devotee.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Candraśekhara (Śiva)
• Candra-kalā (crescent moon)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s sanctity is so great that even incidental contact with its dust is said to confer Śiva-like auspiciousness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) as a supremely sanctifying kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No formal rite; the verse highlights the inherent holiness of Kāśī—contact (even accidental) is meritorious.