Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 70

Devanagari script

योसि सोस्यहमप्यत्र दक्षरक्षणदक्षधीः । पश्यामि तव सामर्थ्यं कथं दक्षं हरिष्यसि

Transliteration

yosi sosyahamapyatra dakṣarakṣaṇadakṣadhīḥ | paśyāmi tava sāmarthyaṃ kathaṃ dakṣaṃ hariṣyasi

Translation

«Qui que tu sois, moi aussi je suis ici — l’esprit vif et habile à garder Dakṣa. Je vais maintenant voir ta puissance : comment emporteras-tu Dakṣa ?»

Word by Word

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• असि: you are
• असि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सः: that (one), he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; निर्देश-सर्वनाम (demonstrative)

• असि: you are
• असि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• अपि: also, even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle); समुच्चय/अपि = also/even

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• दक्षरक्षणदक्षधीः: one whose intellect is skilled in protecting Dakṣa
• दक्षरक्षणदक्षधीः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + रक्षण (प्रातिपदिक) + दक्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + धी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—(दक्षस्य रक्षणम्) इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष, ततः (दक्षः धीः यस्य) इति बहुव्रीहि-प्रायः प्रयोगः; समग्रपदम् वक्तृविशेषणरूपेण

• पश्यामि: I see
• पश्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तव: your
• तव: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; मध्यमपुरुष-सर्वनाम

• सामर्थ्यम्: ability, power
• सामर्थ्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सामर्थ्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Sambandha (Interrogative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नवाचक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• दक्षम्: Dakṣa
• दक्षम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• हरिष्यसि: you will take away/carry off
• हरिष्यसि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हृ (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Unspecified (contextual challenger in the battle narrative; Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration traditionally Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (contextual frame)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrim-audience/ṛṣis (frame typical of Purāṇic narration)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A tense face-to-face challenge in the yajña courtyard: Viṣṇu (Śārṅgadhanvan) declares vigilant protection of Dakṣa, inviting a display of Vīrabhadra’s power; priests and gods watch in alarm amid sacrificial implements and blazing fires.

Characters & Entities

• Dakṣa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Human pride in ‘protecting’ power is challenged; true strength is tested when it confronts divine will and the consequences of adharmic sacrifice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader frame is Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, though this particular verse is part of a battle episode rather than a direct tīrtha-stuti.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly in this verse; it is a confrontational statement within the Dakṣa-yajña battle context.