Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

न जिघृक्षति तेभ्योर्थमभयं चेति यच्छति । आविंध्याटवि मे नाम ग्राह्यं दुष्टभयापहम्

Transliteration

na jighṛkṣati tebhyorthamabhayaṃ ceti yacchati | āviṃdhyāṭavi me nāma grāhyaṃ duṣṭabhayāpaham

Translation

അവൻ അവരിൽ നിന്ന് ധനം കൈക്കൊള്ളാൻ ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്നില്ല; പകരം ‘അഭയം’ നല്കി— ‘എന്റെ നാമം ആവിംധ്യാടവീ; ഇത് സ്മരിക്കുവിൻ, ദുഷ്ടഭയം അകറ്റുന്നതാണ്’ എന്നു പറയുന്നു.

Word by Word

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• jighṛkṣati: wishes to seize/take
• jighṛkṣati: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: grah (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम्; देशिदेरिवेटिव-इच्छार्थकः (desiderative)

• tebhyaḥ: from them
• tebhyaḥ: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिकम्; पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग-प्रयोगः, पञ्चमी-विभक्तिः (Ablative), बहुवचनम्

• artham: wealth/benefit
• artham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative), एकवचनम्

• abhayam: fearlessness/safety
• abhayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: abhaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative), एकवचनम्

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/इत्यर्थक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• yacchati: gives
• yacchati: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yam (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम्

• āviṃdhyāṭavi: the Āviṃdhyā forest
• āviṃdhyāṭavi: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ā-viṃdhyā + aṭavī (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative), एकवचनम्; षष्ठी/सप्तमी-तत्पुरुषसमासः (viṃdhyāyāḥ aṭavī / viṃdhye aṭavī)

• me: my
• me: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्तिः (Genitive), एकवचनम्

• nāma: name
• nāma: Sambandha (Apposition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative), एकवचनम्; नामार्थे (as 'by name')

• grāhyam: to be taken/accepted
• grāhyam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: grah (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्तम्; तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive), नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विधेय-विशेषणम्

• duṣṭa-bhaya-apaham: removing the fear of the wicked
• duṣṭa-bhaya-apaham: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: duṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक) + bhaya (प्रातिपदिक) + apaha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (duṣṭānāṃ bhayam) + उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (bhayaṃ apaharatīti)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Āviṃdhyāṭavī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Piṅgākṣa (addressed as ‘O Piṅgākṣa’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A righteous protector addresses frightened travelers at a forest-edge, refusing their wealth and instead proclaiming the forest’s sacred name ‘Āviṃdhyāṭavī’ as a charm of safety; dark trees recede as a luminous path opens.

Characters & Entities

• Āviṃdhyāṭavī (name/epithet)
• pāthika (traveler)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The righteous do not exploit travelers; they give ‘abhaya’—protection and reassurance—seen as a noble gift.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse supports the Kāśīkhaṇḍa pilgrimage setting where safe passage and protection are treated as sacred services.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A form of abhaya-dāna (granting fearlessness) is emphasized; also the remembrance of a protective name is suggested.