Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

औषधेष्वेव यत्रास्ति कुष्ठयोगो न मानवे । वेधोप्यंतःसुरत्नेषु शूलं मूर्तिकरेषु वै

Transliteration

auṣadheṣveva yatrāsti kuṣṭhayogo na mānave | vedhopyaṃtaḥsuratneṣu śūlaṃ mūrtikareṣu vai

Translation

癩（らい）が人ではなく薬の中にのみあり、内なる貴い宝玉さえ「穿たれ」、さらに聖像を作る者たちが槍のような痛みに苦しむところ——この秩序の転倒は不吉な国土のしるしである。

Word by Word

• auṣadheṣu: In medicines
• auṣadheṣu: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: auṣadha (औषध)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (सप्तमी), Plural

• eva: Only
• eva: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (एव)
• Form: Particle

• yatra: Where
• yatra: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (यत्र)
• Form: Adverb

• asti: Is/Exists
• asti: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (अस्)
• Form: Lat Lakara (Present), Prathama Purusha, Singular

• kuṣṭhayogaḥ: Connection with Costus root (Pun: Leprosy)
• kuṣṭhayogaḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kuṣṭhayoga (कुष्ठयोग)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (प्रथमा), Singular

• na: Not
• na: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (न)
• Form: Particle

• mānave: In man
• mānave: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mānava (मानव)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (सप्तमी), Singular

• vedhaḥ: Perforation/Drilling
• vedhaḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vedha (वेध)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (प्रथमा), Singular

• api: Also/Even
• api: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अपि)
• Form: Particle

• antaḥsuratneṣu: Inside excellent gems
• antaḥsuratneṣu: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: antaḥsuratna (अन्तःसुरत्न)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (सप्तमी), Plural

• śūlam: Chisel/Spear (Pun: Colic pain)
• śūlam: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śūla (शूल)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (प्रथमा), Singular

• mūrtikareṣu: In sculptors
• mūrtikareṣu: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūrtikara (मूर्तिकर)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (सप्तमी), Plural

• vai: Indeed
• vai: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (वै)
• Form: Particle (Emphasis)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Symbolic inversion: a physician’s mortar-and-pestle emitting dark fumes (medicine ‘leprous’), a gem being pierced, and a sculptor clutching his side in pain while carving; contrasted with Kāśī artisans offering finished mūrti at a temple with purifying light.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When the natural order is inverted—remedies become diseased and sacred crafts become painful—auspiciousness declines; dharma restores harmony.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is implied as the harmonizing sacred realm, contrasted with places where order and well-being are reversed.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; the verse functions as a sign-list supporting the Mahātmya of living/sojourning in dharmic sacred space.