Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

सर्वपाषंडधर्मज्ञः कदाचिद्ब्रह्मवाद्यभूत् । ऐंद्रजालिक आसीच्च कदाचिद्भ्रामयञ्जनान्

Transliteration

sarvapāṣaṃḍadharmajñaḥ kadācidbrahmavādyabhūt | aiṃdrajālika āsīcca kadācidbhrāmayañjanān

Translation

അവൻ ചിലപ്പോൾ എല്ലാ പാഷണ്ഡമതങ്ങളുടെയും തത്ത്വം അറിയുന്നവനായി, ചിലപ്പോൾ ബ്രഹ്മവാദിയായി ഉന്നത തത്ത്വപ്രഭാഷകനെന്നപോലെ നടിച്ചു. പിന്നെ ചിലപ്പോൾ ഐന്ദ്രജാലികനായി മായാക്രിയകളാൽ ജനങ്ങളെ ഭ്രമിപ്പിച്ചു॥

Word by Word

• सर्वपाषण्डधर्मज्ञः: knower of all heretical doctrines
• सर्वपाषण्डधर्मज्ञः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + पाषण्ड + धर्म + ज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक; √ज्ञा धातु-आधारित)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समासः—(सर्व-पाषण्ड-धर्म)-ज्ञः = सर्वेषां पाषण्डधर्माणां ज्ञाता (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• कदाचित्: sometimes
• कदाचित्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण-काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कदाचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• ब्रह्मवादी: a proponent of Brahman (Vedāntin)
• ब्रह्मवादी: Karta (Predicate nominative/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् + वादिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समासः—ब्रह्म-वाडी = ब्रह्मणः वादी (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• अभूत्: became
• अभूत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist/अद्यतनभूत), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• ऐन्द्रजालिकः: a magician/illusionist
• ऐन्द्रजालिकः: Karta (Predicate nominative/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऐन्द्रजालिक (प्रातिपदिक; इन्द्रजाल-सम्बन्धी)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• आसीत्: was
• आसीत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/अनद्यतनभूत), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• कदाचित्: sometimes
• कदाचित्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण-काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कदाचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• भ्रामयन्: causing to wander/deluding
• भ्रामयन्: Karta (Agent participle/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भ्रम् (धातु) + णिच् (causative)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (शतृ), परस्मैपदी; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मसापेक्षः

• जनान्: people
• जनान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśī Khaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A charismatic wanderer in Kāśī shifts guises—now a sectarian disputant, now a lofty brahmavādin, now a street illusionist—drawing a ring of onlookers near a ghat, while true sādhus watch with quiet concern.

Characters & Entities

• pāṣaṇḍa doctrines
• brahmavādin
• aiṃdrajālika (magician)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Eloquence, sectarian learning, or ‘miracles’ can mislead; true dharma is recognized by integrity and right conduct.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī, depicted as a spiritual arena where truth must be distinguished from deception.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the focus is on the ethical-spiritual need for discernment.