Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

स्वयमेव निशाभागे स्वप्नं संदर्शयन्नृणाम् । प्रातस्तेषां गृहान्गत्वा तेषां वक्ति बलाबलम्

Transliteration

svayameva niśābhāge svapnaṃ saṃdarśayannṛṇām | prātasteṣāṃ gṛhāngatvā teṣāṃ vakti balābalam

Translation

夜のうちに彼は自ら人々に夢を示し、朝になるとその家々を訪れて、何が強く何が弱いか――その境遇の真の量りを告げた。

Word by Word

• svayam: himself
• svayam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: svayam (अव्यय)
• Form: Indeclinable; reflexive adverb ‘oneself’

• eva: indeed
• eva: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात) of emphasis

• niśā-bhāge: during the night-time portion
• niśā-bhāge: Adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niśā (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (7th), Singular; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘niśāyāḥ bhāge’ = in a part of the night

• svapnam: a dream
• svapnam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svapna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd), Singular

• saṃdarśayan: showing
• saṃdarśayan: Karta-viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (धातु) + sam-; saṃdarśayat (कृदन्त)
• Form: Present active participle (शतृ), Masculine, Nominative (1st), Singular; ‘showing’

• nṛṇām: to/of men
• nṛṇām: Sampradāna/Sambandha (to whom; genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (6th), Plural

• prātaḥ: in the morning
• prātaḥ: Adhikaraṇa (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prātaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb of time (कालवाचक-अव्यय)

• teṣām: of them
• teṣām: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun, Masculine, Genitive (6th), Plural

• gṛhān: houses
• gṛhān: Karma (Object/goal of motion)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gṛha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd), Plural

• gatvā: having gone
• gatvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (धातु); gatvā (कृदन्त)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त), indeclinable verbal; ‘having gone’

• teṣām: to them/of them
• teṣām: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun, Masculine, Genitive (6th), Plural

• vakti: tells
• vakti: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ (Present/लट्), Parasmaipada, 3rd Person, Singular

• bala-ābalam: strength and weakness
• bala-ābalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bala (प्रातिपदिक) + abala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd), Singular; द्वन्द्व (itaretara): strength and weakness

Speaker

Skanda (narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣi-assembly (frame implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Night in Kāśī: the disguised guide moves unseen, bestowing vivid dreams upon sleepers; dawn follows with him visiting doorways, calmly explaining each person’s true strengths and weaknesses.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Gaṇeśa (implied)
• People of Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine grace can correct human judgment through inner signs (dreams) and practical counsel, aligning daily life with dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī, where even ordinary homes become spaces for divine guidance.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual; it describes revelatory dreams and morning instruction.