Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 110

Devanagari script

दैनंदिनेऽथ प्रलये त्रिशूलकोटौ समुत्क्षिप्य पुरीं हरः स्वाम् । बिभर्ति संवर्त महास्थिभूषणस्ततो हि काशी कलिकालवर्जिता

Transliteration

dainaṃdine'tha pralaye triśūlakoṭau samutkṣipya purīṃ haraḥ svām | bibharti saṃvarta mahāsthibhūṣaṇastato hi kāśī kalikālavarjitā

Translation

ദൈനന്ദിന പ്രളയത്തിലും മഹാപ്രളയത്തിലും ഹരൻ തന്റെ ത്രിശൂലാഗ്രത്തിൽ സ്വന്തം പുരിയെ ഉയർത്തി ധരിക്കുന്നു—അവൻ മഹാബലി സംവർതൻ, മഹാസ്ഥി-ഭൂഷണങ്ങളാൽ അലങ്കൃതൻ. അതിനാൽ കാശി കലികാലദോഷം വെടിഞ്ഞതാണ്।

Word by Word

• दैनंदिने: in the daily (cycle)/day by day
• दैनंदिने: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैनंदिन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; कालाधिकरण

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक-अव्यय (then/now)

• प्रलये: at dissolution
• प्रलये: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रलय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कालाधिकरण

• त्रिशूलकोटौ: on the trident’s tip/edge
• त्रिशूलकोटौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिशूल + कोटि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अधिकरण (location: on the tip/edge of the trident)

• समुत्क्षिप्य: having lifted up
• समुत्क्षिप्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्-उत्-क्षिप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• पुरीम्: the city
• पुरीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• हरः: Hara (Śiva)
• हरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• स्वाम्: his own
• स्वाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; आत्मीयार्थक-विशेषण

• बिभर्ति: bears/supports
• बिभर्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• संवर्त: (as) Saṃvarta (the cosmic dissolution form)
• संवर्त: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संवर्त (प्रातिपदिक; विशेषण/नाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; हरः इति विशेषण (epithet: ‘at the time of saṃvarta’)

• महास्थिभूषणः: whose ornament is great bones
• महास्थिभूषणः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा + अस्थि + भूषण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुव्रीह्यर्थे विशेषण (one whose ornament is great bones)

• ततः: therefore
• ततः: Hetu (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय; तद्-तसिल्)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त-अव्यय (therefore/from that)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (indeed)

• काशी: Kāśī
• काशी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कलिकालवर्जिता: devoid of the Kali age
• कलिकालवर्जिता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कलि + काल + वर्जित (वृज्/वर्ज् धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय; कृदन्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्तान्त-विशेषण

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya (Kalaśaja)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Cosmic dissolution: dark swirling waters and collapsing worlds; Śiva (Saṃvarta-like, bone-ornamented) raises Kāśī—miniature city with temples and ghats—balanced on the tip of his trident, serene amid chaos.

Characters & Entities

• Hara (Śiva)
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Triśūla (trident)
• Pralaya
• Kali-yuga (Kali-kāla)
• Saṃvarta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is presented as Śiva’s own imperishable city, protected beyond ordinary cosmic cycles and moral decline.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) as Śiva’s city, upheld even during pralaya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed; the verse provides theological grounding for Kāśī’s exceptional sanctity.