Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

दुर्वृत्तसुप्रवृत्तेश्च निवृत्तिकरणीं सुराः । दक्षिणोत्तरदिग्भागे कृत्वाऽसिं वरणां सुराः

Transliteration

durvṛttasupravṛtteśca nivṛttikaraṇīṃ surāḥ | dakṣiṇottaradigbhāge kṛtvā'siṃ varaṇāṃ surāḥ

Translation

ദുര്വൃത്തരെ പിന്തിരിപ്പിക്കുകയും സുപ്രവൃത്തരെ സത്പഥത്തിലേക്ക് പ്രേരിപ്പിക്കുകയും ചെയ്യുന്ന ശക്തിയെ ദേവന്മാർ ഏർപ്പെടുത്തി. തെക്കും വടക്കും ദിക്കുകളിൽ അസി, വരണാ എന്നിവ സ്ഥാപിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• durvṛtta-supravṛtteḥ: of bad conduct and good conduct
• durvṛtta-supravṛtteḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: durvṛtta + supravṛtti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः—द्वन्द्व (इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व: दुर्वृत्तिः च सुप्रवृत्तिः च); स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine); षष्ठी (Genitive); एकवचन (Singular)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय—समुच्चय (conjunction)

• nivṛtti-karaṇīm: that which causes cessation/withdrawal
• nivṛtti-karaṇīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nivṛtti + karaṇī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः—तत्पुरुष (उपपद-तत्पुरुष: ‘निवृत्तिं करोति’); स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine); द्वितीया (Accusative); एकवचन (Singular)

• surāḥ: the gods
• surāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine); प्रथमा (Nominative); बहुवचन (Plural)

• dakṣiṇa-uttara-dig-bhāge: in the southern and northern directional region
• dakṣiṇa-uttara-dig-bhāge: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dakṣiṇa + uttara + diś + bhāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः—तत्पुरुष (दिशां भागः; दक्षिणोत्तरयोः दिशोः भागे इति); पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine); सप्तमी (Locative); एकवचन (Singular)

• kṛtvā: having made/created
• kṛtvā: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive)

• asim: a sword
• asim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine); द्वितीया (Accusative); एकवचन (Singular)

• varaṇām: Varaṇā (river)
• varaṇām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varaṇā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine); द्वितीया (Accusative); एकवचन (Singular)

• surāḥ: the gods
• surāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine); प्रथमा (Nominative); बहुवचन (Plural)

Speaker

Skanda (contextual, Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Asi and Varaṇā (boundary powers of Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A map-like sacred diagram: Kāśī in the center, with the southern boundary marked by a radiant sword-stream ‘Asi’ and the northern boundary by the river-goddess ‘Varaṇā’. Two groups of people: one turned back by a stern luminous force, another gently guided inward toward temples and ghāṭas.

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Asi
• Varaṇā
• Directions (south/north)
• Kāśī-kṣetra (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s sanctity is described as transformative: it restrains wrongdoing and stabilizes right conduct through divinely set boundaries.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The boundary-markers of Vārāṇasī—Asi and Varaṇā—central to Kāśī’s famed sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; the verse underlines the value of entering and dwelling within the properly sanctified kṣetra.