Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 120

Devanagari script

कलिंगराजोभविताऽधुनाविधुतकल्मषः । एष द्विजवरो दूता यूयं यात यथागताः

Transliteration

kaliṃgarājobhavitā'dhunāvidhutakalmaṣaḥ | eṣa dvijavaro dūtā yūyaṃ yāta yathāgatāḥ

Translation

പാപമുക്തനായ ഇവൻ ഇനി കലിംഗരാജാവായിത്തീരും. ഈ ബ്രാഹ്മണശ്രേഷ്ഠൻ എൻ്റെ ദൂതനാണ്; അല്ലയോ ദൂതന്മാരേ, നിങ്ങൾ വന്നതുപോലെ തന്നെ മടങ്ങിപ്പോകുവിൻ.

Word by Word

• कलिंगराजः: the king of Kaliṅga
• कलिंगराजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलिंग-राज (प्रातिपदिक; कलिंग + राजन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• भविता: will become / will be
• भविता: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• अधुना: now
• अधुना: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अधुना (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• विधुतकल्मषः: having shaken off sin; purified
• विधुतकल्मषः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विधूत-कल्मष (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त ‘विधूत’ + कल्मष)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘विधूत’ = क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) from धातु √धू (धूनन) with वि-उपसर्ग; विशेषणम्

• एष: this (man)
• एष: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• द्विजवरः: the best of the twice-born (Brahmin)
• द्विजवरः: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज-वर (प्रातिपदिक; द्विज + वर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• दूताः: O messengers
• दूताः: Sambodhana/Addressed (Vocative sense/सम्बोधनार्थ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Plural)

• यूयं: you (all)
• यूयं: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुषार्थक-सर्वनाम; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• यात: go
• यात: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), बहुवचन

• यथागताः: as you came; in the same way as arrived
• यथागताः: Kriya-visheshana (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यथा-गत (प्रातिपदिक; अव्यय ‘यथा’ + कृदन्त ‘गत’)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘गत’ = क्त-प्रत्ययान्त from √गम्; विशेषणम् (to ‘यूयम्’)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative, typically Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (implied)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A Śaiva authority figure (or divine voice through a brāhmaṇa) declares the sinner purified and destined for Kaliṅga kingship; a dignified brāhmaṇa-messenger stands between parties while envoys withdraw respectfully.

Characters & Entities

• Kaliṅga
• Brāhmaṇa (Dvija)
• Messengers (Dūta)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purification and rightful authority are portrayed as arising from dharma and divine sanction, not merely birth or force.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it is part of the broader Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative framework.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse speaks of sin being removed (vidhuta-kalmaṣa), implying prior merit, vows, or sacred contact in the narrative.