Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 68

Devanagari script

स्वपंत्यास्त्वेकदाऽदाय दुरोदरिकरेऽर्पयत् । एकदा गच्छता राजभवनान्निजमुद्रिका

Transliteration

svapaṃtyāstvekadā'dāya durodarikare'rpayat | ekadā gacchatā rājabhavanānnijamudrikā

Translation

ഒരിക്കൽ അവൾ ഉറങ്ങുമ്പോൾ മുദ്രിക എടുത്ത് ചൂതാട്ടക്കാരന്റെ കൈയിൽ വെച്ചു; മറ്റൊരിക്കൽ രാജഭവനത്തിലേക്ക് പോകുമ്പോൾ തന്റെ സ്വന്തം മുദ്രികയും കൈവശം കൊണ്ടുപോയി।

Word by Word

• स्वपन्त्याः: of (her) who was sleeping
• स्वपन्त्याः: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वपन्ती (कृदन्त; √स्वप् शतृ-प्रत्यय)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), षष्ठी (6th/genitive), एकवचन (singular); ‘sleeping (woman)’

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Discourse (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), विरोध/विशेषार्थक

• एकदा: once
• एकदा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एकदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• आदाय: having taken
• आदाय: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ + √दा (धातु; ल्यप्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यपन्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• दुरोदरि: in/at the gambler
• दुरोदरि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुरोदरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), सप्तमी (7th/locative), एकवचन (singular)

• करे: in the hand
• करे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), सप्तमी (7th/locative), एकवचन (singular)

• अर्पयत्: he offered/placed
• अर्पयत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्पय् (धातु √अर्प्, णिच्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular); परस्मैपदम्

• एकदा: once
• एकदा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एकदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• गच्छता: by (him) going
• गच्छता: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गच्छत् (कृदन्त; √गम् शतृ-प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), तृतीया (3rd/instrumental), एकवचन (singular); वर्तमानकाले ‘going’

• राजभवनात्: from the royal palace
• राजभवनात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राज + भवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), पञ्चमी (5th/ablative), एकवचन (singular)

• निजमुद्रिका: his own signet-ring
• निजमुद्रिका: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निज + मुद्रिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), प्रथमा (1st/nominative), एकवचन (singular)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Audience within Kāśīkhaṇḍa frame (not specified)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Night scene: the mother asleep; the son stealthily removes a ring and later places it into a gambler’s hand; a second vignette shows him heading toward the royal palace with his signet-ring, hinting at impending exposure.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• durodara (gambler)
• rājabhavana (royal palace)
• mudrikā (signet ring)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Vice leads to stealth and betrayal of trust—one harms even one’s own household to feed addiction.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The episode is situated within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī-māhātmya framework, though the verse itself focuses on conduct rather than a named tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it narrates misconduct (taking property while someone sleeps) and its social consequences.