Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

आंदोल्य मौलिमसकृत्कुंडलाभ्यां विराजितम् । गजीभूयाशु दुद्राव तां देवीं समरेऽसुरः

Transliteration

āṃdolya maulimasakṛtkuṃḍalābhyāṃ virājitam | gajībhūyāśu dudrāva tāṃ devīṃ samare'suraḥ

Translation

Secouant la tête à maintes reprises, ses boucles d’oreilles étincelantes, l’Asura prit soudain la forme d’un éléphant et se rua sur la Déesse au combat.

Word by Word

• āṃdolya: having shaken
• āṃdolya: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√dul (धातु; āndolayati)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) — ‘having shaken/swayed’

• maulim: his head/crest
• maulim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mauli (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — ‘crest/head’

• asakṛt: repeatedly
• asakṛt: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: asakṛt (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — ‘repeatedly, again and again’

• kuṃḍalābhyām: with (his) two earrings
• kuṃḍalābhyām: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kuṃḍala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), द्विवचन — ‘with two earrings’

• virājitam: adorned, shining
• virājitam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-√rāj (धातु)
• Form: क्त (PPP) — नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; predicate/qualifier of implied ‘(him)’: ‘adorned, shining’

• gajībhūya: having become elephant-like
• gajībhūya: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gajī-√bhū (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) — ‘having become like an elephant/elephantine’

• āśu: quickly
• āśu: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: āśu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — ‘quickly’

• dudrāva: ran
• dudrāva: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dru (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — ‘ran’

• tām: her
• tām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• devīm: the goddess
• devīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन (apposition to tām)

• samare: in battle
• samare: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: samara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन — locative of place

• asuraḥ: the demon
• asuraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta-Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis / kathā-audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The asura shakes his head repeatedly, earrings flashing; his body swells and reshapes into a massive elephant form, then he charges straight at Devī across the battlefield.

Characters & Entities

• Asura
• Devī
• Durga (Daitya king)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ego and aggression may change forms, yet they remain bound to defeat when confronted with the Divine.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kāśīkhaṇḍa framework glorifies Kāśī; this verse advances the narrative of divine guardianship rather than naming a particular tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a narrative moment describing the Asura’s transformation and attack.