Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

कथं स राजा धर्मिष्ठः प्रजापालनतत्परः । वियोज्यते पुरः काश्या दिवोदासो महीपतिः

Transliteration

kathaṃ sa rājā dharmiṣṭhaḥ prajāpālanatatparaḥ | viyojyate puraḥ kāśyā divodāso mahīpatiḥ

Translation

അത്യന്തം ധർമ്മനിഷ്ഠനും പ്രജാപാലനത്തിൽ തൽപരനുമായ ആ മഹീപതി ദിവോദാസനെ കാശീനഗരിയിൽ നിന്ന് എങ്ങനെ വേർപെടുത്താം?

Word by Word

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Sambandha (Interrogative adverb/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नार्थक क्रियाविशेषण (how)

• सः: he/that
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन, पुंलिङ्ग

• राजा: king
• राजा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• धर्मिष्ठः: most righteous
• धर्मिष्ठः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धर्मिष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक; धर्म + इष्ठन्)
• Form: विशेषण; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अतिशय (superlative sense)

• प्रजापालन: protection of subjects
• प्रजापालन: Sambandha (Genitival relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रजा (प्रातिपदिक) + पालन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी: ‘प्रजानां पालनम्’); (समासाङ्ग)

• तत्परः: devoted, intent
• तत्परः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तत्पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्रजापालनतत्परः: devoted to protecting the people
• प्रजापालनतत्परः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रजापालन (समास) + तत्पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (सप्तमी/षष्ठी-भाव: ‘प्रजापालने तत्परः’); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (राजा)

• वियोज्यते: is separated/removed
• वियोज्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + युज् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive)

• पुरः: from (the presence/front)
• पुरः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; स्थानवाचक (from/in front; here ‘from’)

• काश्याः: of Kashi
• काश्याः: Sambandha (Genitival/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• दिवोदासः: Divodāsa
• दिवोदासः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिवोदास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• महीपतिः: the king
• महीपतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महीपति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; दिवोदासः इत्यस्य अप्पोजिशन

Speaker

Śiva (Devadeva) (contextual continuation of reply)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A compassionate ethical question: how can Divodāsa—righteous and devoted to protecting his subjects—be removed from Kāśī? Śiva’s concern reflects dharmic sensitivity.

Characters & Entities

• Divodāsa
• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Righteous leadership and protection of subjects are upheld as high dharma, making any displacement ethically complex and requiring dhārmic justification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī/Vārāṇasī, presented as a city whose very rulership is intertwined with dharma and divine presence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse frames a dharmic-political question rather than a ritual act.