Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

चित्रगुप्तादयः सर्वे कालं जानंति सूर्यतः । स्थितिसर्गविसर्गाणां कारणं केवलं रविः

Transliteration

citraguptādayaḥ sarve kālaṃ jānaṃti sūryataḥ | sthitisargavisargāṇāṃ kāraṇaṃ kevalaṃ raviḥ

Translation

ചിത്രഗുപ്താദികള്‍ എല്ലാവരും സൂര്യനില്‍നിന്നാണ് കാലം അറിയുന്നത്. സ്ഥിതി, സൃഷ്ടി, ലയം—ഇവയ്ക്കെല്ലാം കാരണം ഏകമായി രവി (സൂര്യന്‍) തന്നെയാണ്.

Word by Word

• चित्रगुप्तादयः: Citragupta and others
• चित्रगुप्तादयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चित्रगुप्तादि (प्रातिपदिक; चित्रगुप्त + आदि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (चित्रगुप्तः आदिः येषाम्)

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• कालम्: time
• कालम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• जानन्ति: know
• जानन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• सूर्यतः: from the Sun
• सूर्यतः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• स्थिति: maintenance
• स्थिति: Samasa-anga (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थिति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, (समासाङ्ग) प्रातिपदिक-रूपम्

• सर्ग: creation
• सर्ग: Samasa-anga (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, (समासाङ्ग) प्रातिपदिक-रूपम्

• विसर्गाणाम्: of dissolution(s) (and of maintenance and creation)
• विसर्गाणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विसर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; पूर्वपदद्वयेन सह समाहार-द्वन्द्वसमासः (स्थिति+सर्ग+विसर्ग)

• कारणम्: the cause
• कारणम्: Pradhana-predicative (Predicate nominal/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• केवलम्: alone, solely
• केवलम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: केवल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कारणम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• रविः: the Sun
• रविः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रवि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśī-khaṇḍa context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Citragupta and celestial record-keepers consult solar movement to mark time; above them Ravi radiates, while below the cosmos cycles through creation, maintenance, dissolution in symbolic panels.

Characters & Entities

• Citragupta
• Sūrya
• Ravi
• Kāla
• Sarga
• Sthiti
• Visarga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Time and cosmic order are not random; they are intelligible and governed—symbolically and functionally—through the Sun’s regulation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Varanasi) is the textual setting (Kāśī-khaṇḍa), though the verse itself praises the cosmic role of Sūrya rather than a named tirtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct rite is prescribed; the verse provides doctrinal grounding for calendrical and ritual timing based on the Sun.