Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 68

Devanagari script

अथोवाचामर गुरुर्देवानपचिकीर्षुकान् । तस्मिन्राजनि धर्मिष्ठे वरिष्ठे मंत्रवेदिषु

Transliteration

athovācāmara gururdevānapacikīrṣukān | tasminrājani dharmiṣṭhe variṣṭhe maṃtravediṣu

Translation

അപ്പോൾ അമരന്മാരുടെ ഗുരു, അവനോട് വിരോധമായി പ്രവർത്തിക്കുവാൻ ആഗ്രഹിച്ച ദേവന്മാരോട് പറഞ്ഞു—ആ രാജാവിനെക്കുറിച്ച്; അവൻ പരമധർമ്മിഷ്ഠൻ, ശ്രേഷ്ഠൻ, മന്ത്രവിദ്യ അറിയുന്നവരിൽ അഗ്രഗണ്യൻ।

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अनन्तरार्थक/sequence particle)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परिपूर्णभूत/perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अमरगुरुः: the teacher of the gods (Bṛhaspati)
• अमरगुरुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: amara-guru (प्रातिपदिक; अमर + गुरु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/nominative), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (अमराणां गुरुः)

• देवान्: the gods
• देवान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), बहुवचन

• अपचिकीर्षुकान्: wishing to depart/withdraw (lit. to do ‘apa-’ action)
• अपचिकीर्षुकान्: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: apa-cikīrṣu (प्रातिपदिक; अप + चिकीर्षु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), बहुवचन; इच्छार्थक-विशेषण (desiderative sense: ‘wishing to do/act’)

• तस्मिन्: in that
• तस्मिन्: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/locative), एकवचन

• राजनि: in the king
• राजनि: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/locative), एकवचन

• धर्मिष्ठे: most righteous
• धर्मिष्ठे: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dharmiṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/locative), एकवचन; अतिशयवाचक (superlative)

• वरिष्ठे: best, foremost
• वरिष्ठे: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: variṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/locative), एकवचन; अतिशयवाचक (superlative)

• मन्त्रवेदिषु: among the knowers of mantras
• मन्त्रवेदिषु: Adhikaraṇa (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mantra-vedin (प्रातिपदिक; मन्त्र + वेदिन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/locative), बहुवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (मन्त्रान् वेत्ति इति)

Speaker

Bṛhaspati (Amara-guru)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devas intending to act against the king

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Bṛhaspati, radiant and composed, addresses the devas poised for action; in the background, a vision-like portrayal of the righteous king with mantra-knowing aura.

Characters & Entities

• Bṛhaspati
• Devas
• the righteous king

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Hostility toward the righteous is self-defeating; dharma and mantra-competence together form a powerful safeguard.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī’s sacred milieu is the backdrop; the verse contributes to the mahātmya by portraying dharma’s invincibility within Kāśī-khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; mantra-knowledge is praised as a spiritual power allied with dharma.