Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 56

Devanagari script

धर्मवर्त्मानुसरतां यो विघ्नं समुपाचरेत् । तस्यैव जायते विघ्नः प्रत्युत प्रेमवर्धिनि

Transliteration

dharmavartmānusaratāṃ yo vighnaṃ samupācaret | tasyaiva jāyate vighnaḥ pratyuta premavardhini

Translation

ധർമ്മപഥം പിന്തുടരുന്നവർക്കു വിഘ്നം വരുത്താൻ ആരെങ്കിലും ശ്രമിച്ചാൽ, ആ വിഘ്നം അവനിലേക്കുതന്നെ മടങ്ങിവരും; അവസാനം അത് ഭക്തരുടെ പ്രേമവും സ്ഥിരതയും വർധിപ്പിക്കും.

Word by Word

• धर्मवर्त्मानुसरताम्: of those who follow the path of dharma
• धर्मवर्त्मानुसरताम्: सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म-वर्त्म-अनुसरत् (प्रातिपदिक; शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; ‘धर्मस्य वर्त्म’ इति तत्पुरुष + ‘अनुसरत्’ (following)

• यः: who
• यः: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• विघ्नम्: obstacle
• विघ्नम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विघ्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• समुपाचरेत्: should inflict/bring about
• समुपाचरेत्: क्रिया (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-उप-आ-चर् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; ‘आचरति’—‘would practice/bring about’

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: सम्बन्ध (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक (emphatic/only)

• जायते: arises/is born
• जायते: क्रिया (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• विघ्नः: an obstacle
• विघ्नः: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विघ्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• प्रत्युत: on the contrary
• प्रत्युत: सम्बन्ध (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रत्युत (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विपरीतार्थक (on the contrary)

• प्रेमवर्धिनि: in (one) that increases love/affection
• प्रेमवर्धिनि: अधिकरण (Locative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रेम-वर्धिन् (प्रातिपदिक; वर्धिन्-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; ‘प्रेम वर्धयति’—in (a situation) that increases affection

Speaker

Śiva (Hara / Vyomakeśa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Participants in the episode (divine/royal court context implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dhārmika pilgrim or devotee continues worship despite attempted obstruction; the obstructer is ensnared by his own vighna while the devotee’s aura brightens with love and resolve.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Dharma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Harming the dharmic rebounds on the aggressor; trials faced by the righteous ultimately deepen devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Implicitly Kāśī’s sanctified order—where dharma is upheld and hostile forces are self-defeating.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the focus is on moral causality (karma) and the resilience of dharmic living.