Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 98

Devanagari script

राजांकमारुरुक्षुर्हि सुरुच्या परिभर्त्सितः । उत्तमं चोत्तमीकृत्य मां च मन्मातरं तथा

Transliteration

rājāṃkamārurukṣurhi surucyā paribhartsitaḥ | uttamaṃ cottamīkṛtya māṃ ca manmātaraṃ tathā

Translation

എന്നാൽ ഞാൻ രാജാവിന്റെ മടിയിൽ കയറാൻ ആഗ്രഹിച്ചപ്പോൾ, സുരൂചി എന്നെ കഠിനമായി ശാസിച്ചു—ഉത്തമനെ ‘ഉത്തമൻ’ എന്ന് ഉയർത്തി, എന്നെയും എന്റെ മാതാവിനെയും അപമാനിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• rāja-aṅkam: the king’s lap
• rāja-aṅkam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक) + aṅka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative, 2nd), एकवचन (Singular); तत्पुरुषः—‘rājñaḥ aṅkaḥ’ (king’s lap/throne-seat)

• ārurukṣuḥ: wishing to climb
• ārurukṣuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√ruh (धातु)
• Form: सन्/उणादि-प्रत्ययान्त इच्छार्थक कृदन्त (desiderative participle), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative, 1st), एकवचन (Singular); ‘to wish to climb’

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle), निश्चयार्थक (indeed)

• surucyā: by Suruci
• surucyā: Karana (Agent in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: suruci (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), तृतीया (Instrumental, 3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• paribhartsitaḥ: rebuked/insulted
• paribhartsitaḥ: Karta (Predicate nominative/कर्ता-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari-√bharts (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative, 1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• uttamam: Uttama (name)
• uttamam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative, 2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• uttamīkṛtya: having elevated (him) as superior
• uttamīkṛtya: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: uttamī-√kṛ (धातु; नामधातु/causative sense)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund), ‘having made (someone) superior/placed as superior’

• mām: me
• mām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम (1st person pronoun), द्वितीया (Accusative, 2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• mat-mātaram: my mother
• mat-mātaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mad (प्रातिपदिक) + mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया (Accusative, 2nd), एकवचन (Singular); तत्पुरुषः—‘mama mātaram’

• tathā: likewise/also
• tathā: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

Speaker

Dhruva

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: munīśvarāḥ (sages)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A palace moment: Dhruva reaches for the king’s lap; Surucī rebukes him, praising Uttama and belittling Dhruva and his mother—an injustice that ignites Dhruva’s resolve.

Characters & Entities

• Dhruva
• Surucī
• Uttama
• king (Uttānapāda implied)
• Sunīti (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Humiliation and injustice can become a sacred catalyst, redirecting the heart from status-seeking to God-seeking.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it provides the moral backstory within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse.