Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

सुदक्षदक्षिणामाशामाशानाथः प्रतस्थिवान् । क्रमतः सर्वमर्वन्तो हेलया हेलिकस्य खम्

Transliteration

sudakṣadakṣiṇāmāśāmāśānāthaḥ pratasthivān | kramataḥ sarvamarvanto helayā helikasya kham

Translation

അപ്പോൾ ദിക്കുകളുടെ നാഥൻ സുസംയതമായ ദക്ഷിണ ദിശയിലേക്കു പ്രസ്ഥാനം ചെയ്തു; ക്രമമായി എല്ലാവരും മുന്നേറി—ഹേലയോടെ, ആകാശം തന്നെ ഒരു ക്രീഡാശീല വിഹാരിയുടെതെന്നപോലെ।

Word by Word

• सुदक्षदक्षिणाम्: the very capable southern (direction)
• सुदक्षदक्षिणाम्: विशेषण
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (अव्यय-उपपद) + दक्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + दक्षिणा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (सु-दक्षा दक्षिणा)

• आशाम्: direction
• आशाम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आशा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• आशानाथः: lord of the directions
• आशानाथः: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आशा (प्रातिपदिक) + नाथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (आशानां नाथः)

• प्रतस्थिवान्: set out/departed
• प्रतस्थिवान्: क्रिया (कर्ता-विशेषणरूपेण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + √स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्तवतु-प्रत्ययान्त (परिपूर्ण-भूतार्थक), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; परस्मैपदी-धातोः क्तवतु (प्रतस्थिवान् = departed)

• क्रमतः: in order, gradually
• क्रमतः: क्रियाविशेषण
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (क्रमतः = क्रमशः)

• सर्वम्: everything
• सर्वम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• अर्वन्तः: horses
• अर्वन्तः: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्वन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• हेलया: with ease, playfully
• हेलया: करण (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हेला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• हेलिकस्य: of Helika
• हेलिकस्य: सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हेलिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• खम्: sky/space
• खम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Kāśīkhaṇḍa default dialogue-frame, verse-context narration)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and ṛṣis (frame assumed; not explicit in excerpt)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dignified leader identified as the lord of quarters begins a southward journey; a retinue follows in orderly sequence, yet with effortless lightness—like a playful being owning the sky; the scene evokes a celestial procession over landscapes.

Characters & Entities

• Āśānātha (Lord of directions—Sūrya implied)
• Dakṣiṇā diś (South)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Cosmic movement is orderly yet effortless—suggesting that dharma, when aligned with the divine, proceeds naturally.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The frame is Kāśī in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa; this verse praises cosmic order rather than a named shrine.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it supports the chapter’s auspicious-time atmosphere for morning observances.