Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 65

Devanagari script

अध्रुवं सर्वमेवैतत्पश्यंत्यंधीकृतास्म्यहम् । धात्रीं त्रायस्व मां पुत्र प्राप्य त्वंमेंऽधयष्टिताम्

Transliteration

adhruvaṃ sarvamevaitatpaśyaṃtyaṃdhīkṛtāsmyaham | dhātrīṃ trāyasva māṃ putra prāpya tvaṃmeṃ'dhayaṣṭitām

Translation

ഇതെല്ലാം അനിത്യമെന്നു കണ്ടുകണ്ടു ഞാൻ যেন അന്ധയായിരിക്കുന്നു. ഹേ പുത്രാ! നിന്റെ മാതാവായ എന്നെ രക്ഷിക്കൂ; നീ എന്നെ ഈ ദീനവും അസഹായവുമായ നിലയിൽ കണ്ടെത്തിയിരിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• adhruvam: unstable, impermanent
• adhruvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: adhruva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-एकवचन (Accusative Singular)

• sarvam: everything
• sarvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-एकवचन (Accusative Singular)

• eva: indeed, only
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण (particle: emphasis/only)

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-एकवचन (Accusative Singular)

• paśyantī: seeing
• paśyantī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (धातु)
• Form: शतृ/शानच्-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (Present participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन

• andhīkṛtā: blinded, made blind
• andhīkṛtā: Karta (Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: andhī + √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन (Nominative Singular)

• asmi: am
• asmi: Kriya (Copula/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-एकवचन (Nominative Singular), सर्वनाम

• dhātrīm: the nurse/mother/earth (Dhātrī)
• dhātrīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhātrī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-एकवचन (Accusative Singular)

• trāyasva: protect (you)
• trāyasva: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √trā (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• mām: me
• mām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया-एकवचन (Accusative Singular), सर्वनाम

• putra: O son
• putra: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: putra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-एकवचन (Vocative Singular)

• prāpya: having obtained/reached
• prāpya: Purvakala (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√āp (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/absolutive)

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvaṃ (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-एकवचन (Nominative Singular), सर्वनाम

• me: to me / my
• me: Sampradana/Sambandha (to me/of me)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी-एकवचन (Gen./Dat. Singular), सर्वनाम

• adhayaṣṭitām: (her) who is established/placed under (your) control
• adhayaṣṭitām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: adhi-√sthā (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past passive participle) स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-एकवचन (Accusative Singular); पाठभेद/रूपभेद सम्भव (adhiṣṭhitām अपेक्षित)

Speaker

A royal mother/queen (rājapatnī), speaking to her son

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sages/seekers (unspecified)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A mother-queen, disheveled from travel and grief, reaches out to her son Dhruva, confessing the world’s instability; the son stands as protector, offering support; background hints of sacred city/river.

Characters & Entities

• Dharma of impermanence (adhruva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly life is impermanent (adhruva); dharma emphasizes protection of parents and compassionate responsibility.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is mentioned in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the ‘prescription’ is ethical—filial protection and duty.