Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 33

Devanagari script

तासु क्षीणासु संक्षीणाः सर्वे यज्ञभुजोऽभवन् । ततश्चिंतयता स्रष्ट्रा दृष्टो राजर्षिसत्तमः

Transliteration

tāsu kṣīṇāsu saṃkṣīṇāḥ sarve yajñabhujo'bhavan | tataściṃtayatā sraṣṭrā dṛṣṭo rājarṣisattamaḥ

Translation

ആ ക്രിയകൾ ക്ഷയിച്ചപ്പോൾ യജ്ഞഭോക്താക്കളായ ദേവന്മാരെല്ലാം ക്ഷീണിതരായി. അപ്പോൾ ചിന്തയിലാണ്ട സൃഷ്ടികർത്താവ് ശ്രേഷ്ഠനായ ഒരു രാജർഷിയെ കണ്ടു.

Word by Word

• tāsu: in those (rites)
• tāsu: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• kṣīṇāsu: when (they) were diminished
• kṣīṇāsu: Adhikarana (Qualifier/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṣī (धातु) + na (क्त, कृत्प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• saṃkṣīṇāḥ: were completely diminished
• saṃkṣīṇāḥ: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam + kṣī (धातु) + na (क्त, कृत्प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• sarve: all
• sarve: Karta (Qualifier/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• yajñabhujaḥ: eaters/partakers of sacrifices (gods)
• yajñabhujaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajña + bhuj (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• abhavan: became/were
• abhavan: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपद (Parasmaipada)

• tataḥ: then/thereupon
• tataḥ: Kāla (Sequence/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), क्रम/हेतुवाचक (thereupon)

• ciṃtayatā: by (him) thinking
• ciṃtayatā: Karana (Agent in participial construction/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ciṃt (धातु) + yat (शतृ, कृत्प्रत्यय)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• sraṣṭrā: by the creator
• sraṣṭrā: Karana (Agent/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sraṣṭṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• dṛṣṭaḥ: was seen
• dṛṣṭaḥ: Kriya (Resultant state/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु) + ta (क्त, कृत्प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• rājarṣisattamaḥ: the best of royal sages
• rājarṣisattamaḥ: Karma (Object of seeing/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāja + ṛṣi + sattama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Skanda

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A two-tier vision: devas appear faint and diminished, their radiance reduced; Brahmā, contemplating, suddenly beholds a radiant royal sage (rājarṣi) as a hopeful counterforce.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Brahmā (Sraṣṭṛ)
• Devas (Yajñabhujaḥ)
• Rājarṣi (unnamed here)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma presents mutual dependence: humans uphold yajña, devas are nourished by offerings, and cosmic welfare is maintained through this reciprocity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative is moving toward Avimukta/Kāśī; this verse signals a turning point where a great rājṛṣi becomes relevant.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None as a command; it states that yajña-sustained deities weaken when sacrificial rites decline.