Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 45

Devanagari script

तस्य वाहीक विप्रस्य व्याघ्रव्यापादितस्य ह । मध्ये गंगं दैवयोगादपतद्द्वंद्वकारिणोः

Transliteration

tasya vāhīka viprasya vyāghravyāpāditasya ha | madhye gaṃgaṃ daivayogādapataddvaṃdvakāriṇoḥ

Translation

പുലിയാൽ കൊല്ലപ്പെട്ട ആ വാഹീക ബ്രാഹ്മണന്റെ പാദം, ദൈവവിധിയിൽ ആ പക്ഷികൾ തമ്മിലുള്ള പോരാട്ടത്തിനിടയിൽ ഗംഗയുടെ മധ്യത്തിൽ വീണു.

Word by Word

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• वाहीक: Vāhīka (name/epithet)
• वाहीक: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वाहीक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (विप्रस्य)

• विप्रस्य: of the brāhmaṇa
• विप्रस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• व्याघ्र: tiger
• व्याघ्र: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्याघ्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषपूर्वपद (in compound)

• व्यापादितस्य: of the one killed/slain
• व्यापादितस्य: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + आ + पद् (धातु) → व्यापादित (कर्मणि-क्त/कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मणि क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past passive participle), पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (विप्रस्य)

• ह: indeed
• ह: None (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ह (अव्यय)
• Form: निपातः (particle/emphasis)

• मध्ये: in the middle
• मध्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावप्रयोगे सप्तम्यर्थे अव्ययम् (locative sense)

• गंगाम्: Gaṅgā (river)
• गंगाम्: Karma (Goal/Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• दैवयोगात्: due to divine chance
• दैवयोगात्: Hetu (Cause/Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैव + योग (प्रातिपदिक); दैवयोग (समास-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (दैवेन योगः = by divine chance)

• अपतत्: fell
• अपतत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अ + पत् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• द्वंद्वकारिणोः: of the two combatants
• द्वंद्वकारिणोः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वन्द्व + कारिन् (प्रातिपदिक); द्वन्द्वकारिन् (समास-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), द्विवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (द्वन्द्वं करोति = one who fights/engages in combat)

Speaker

Maheśvara (Śiva) (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (Kāśī)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The severed foot splashes into the Gaṅgā midstream; above, two birds still quarrel; the river glows as a sacred presence, with ghats or a hint of Kāśī skyline in the distance.

Characters & Entities

• Vāhīka
• Gaṅgā
• tiger (vyāghra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even amid grim karma, divine providence can connect a being to purifying sacred reality—here symbolized by contact with the Gaṅgā.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Gaṅgā is the explicitly invoked sacred locus, foundational to Kāśī’s tīrtha-māhātmya and purificatory theology.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed, but the verse implies the purifying potency of association with Gaṅgā (snāna/sparśa by extension).