Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 45

Devanagari script

परं नो दृग्गतान्येव दूरे दूरे व्रजंत्यहो । दैवादद्यैकमायांतं दृष्ट्वा कार्पटिकं मुने

Transliteration

paraṃ no dṛggatānyeva dūre dūre vrajaṃtyaho | daivādadyaikamāyāṃtaṃ dṛṣṭvā kārpaṭikaṃ mune

Translation

Pourtant, tout ce qui tombe sous notre regard s’enfuit toujours plus loin—hélas ! Mais aujourd’hui, par le décret du destin, voyant s’avancer un unique mendiant vêtu de haillons, ô sage…

Word by Word

• परम्: but, however
• परम्: Discourse/Connector (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: परम् (अव्यय/विशेषण-रूप)
• Form: अव्यय, विरोध/अपवादार्थक (indeclinable; but/however)

• नः: our
• नः: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन; एन्क्लिटिक रूप (genitive plural; of us/our)

• दृक्: eye, sight
• दृक्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दृश्/दृक् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन (feminine, nominative singular)

• गतानि: gone, having gone (into)
• गतानि: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गत (कृदन्त; √गम्)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), बहुवचन; विशेषण (past participle; neuter nom/acc plural)

• एव: indeed, only
• एव: Emphasis (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक अव्यय (particle; only/indeed)

• दूरे: far
• दूरे: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दूर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाववत् क्रियाविशेषण (adverbial usage; far away)

• दूरे: far (very far)
• दूरे: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दूर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुनरुक्ति-बल (reduplication for emphasis; very far)

• व्रजन्ति: go, move away
• व्रजन्ति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्रज् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद (present indicative, 3rd plural)

• अहो: alas!/ah!
• अहो: Discourse/Exclamation (उद्गार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अहो (अव्यय)
• Form: विस्मयादिबोधक अव्यय (exclamation)

• दैवात्: by fate, by chance
• दैवात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दैव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पञ्चमी (5) एकवचन-रूपेण अव्ययीभाववत्; हेत्वर्थक (ablative used adverbially; by fate)

• अद्य: today
• अद्य: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (temporal adverb; today)

• एकम्: one
• एकम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; विशेषण (masculine accusative singular; qualifying kārpaṭikam)

• आयान्तम्: coming, approaching
• आयान्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ-या (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; विशेषण (present participle; masculine accusative singular)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive; having seen)

• कार्पटिकम्: a beggar, rag-wearer
• कार्पटिकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्पटिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन (masculine accusative singular)

• मुने: O sage
• मुने: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन (masculine vocative singular)

Speaker

Preta (departed spirit), addressing a sage (mune) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: muni (sage)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A hungry wanderer watches desirable things slip away in the distance; in the foreground a rag-clad mendicant (karpaṭika) approaches calmly, staff and begging bowl, eyes serene.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (implied)
• kārpaṭika (mendicant)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Desire continually recedes and remains unfulfilled; providence can bring a decisive encounter that turns one toward liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the narrative world of the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, though no named tīrtha appears in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse sets up an encounter driven by daiva (fate).