Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 66

Devanagari script

दृष्ट्वा सैन्यं च प्रमथैर्भज्यमानमितस्ततः । दुद्राव रथमास्थाय स्वयमेवांधको गणान्

Transliteration

dṛṣṭvā sainyaṃ ca pramathairbhajyamānamitastataḥ | dudrāva rathamāsthāya svayamevāṃdhako gaṇān

Translation

പ്രമഥന്മാർ എല്ലാടവും തന്റെ സൈന്യത്തെ തകർക്കുന്നതു കണ്ട അന്ധകൻ സ്വയം രഥമേറി ഗണങ്ങളിലേക്കു നേരെ പാഞ്ഞുചെന്നു।

Word by Word

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: पूर्वक्रिया (पूर्वकर्म/पूर्वव्यापार)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (prior action), अव्ययभाव (indeclinable verbal)

• सैन्यम्: the army
• सैन्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सैन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: समुच्चय (connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• प्रमथैः: by the Pramathas (attendants)
• प्रमथैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रमथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन

• भज्यमानम्: being broken/being routed
• भज्यमानम्: कर्मविशेषण (object-qualifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भज् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कर्मणि-प्रयोगे शानच्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Present passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘सैन्यम्’ इति विशेष्यस्यान्वयः

• इतस्: from here / on this side
• इतस्: अधिकरण (locative sense/adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इतस् (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• ततः: from there / then
• ततः: अधिकरण (adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: देश/क्रमवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: from there/then)

• दुद्राव: ran swiftly / fled
• दुद्राव: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: द्रु (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• रथम्: the chariot
• रथम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• आस्थाय: having mounted / having taken (to)
• आस्थाय: पूर्वक्रिया (पूर्वव्यापार)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• स्वयम्: himself
• स्वयम्: कर्ता-विशेषण (agent-qualifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: स्वतन्त्रकर्तृवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: oneself)

• एव: indeed / alone
• एव: अवधारण (emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-निपात (particle of emphasis)

• अंधकः: Andhaka
• अंधकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अंधक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• गणान्: the troops/hosts
• गणान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Andhaka, seeing his forces broken by Śiva’s Pramathas from all sides, mounts his chariot and charges directly at the gaṇas; dust, banners, and the press of combat fill the scene.

Characters & Entities

• Andhaka
• Pramatha
• Gaṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Arrogance meets divine resistance: when adharma surges, Śiva’s hosts (Gaṇas) become the instrument of protection and rebalancing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader sacred field is Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, portrayed as a realm safeguarded by Śiva’s attendants.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit vrata, dāna, snāna, or japa is stated in this verse.