Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 88

Devanagari script

न दैत्येषु प्रभेदृक्स्यान्नाकृतिर्दानवेष्वियम् । महासाध्वसदः कोयमस्माकं हृत्प्रकंपनः

Transliteration

na daityeṣu prabhedṛksyānnākṛtirdānaveṣviyam | mahāsādhvasadaḥ koyamasmākaṃ hṛtprakaṃpanaḥ

Translation

ഇത് ദൈത്യന്മാരിൽ അറിയപ്പെടുന്ന ഒരു വിഭാഗമല്ല; ദാനവന്മാരിലും ഇത്തരമൊരു രൂപമില്ല. ആരാണ് ഇവൻ, മഹാഭയം ജനിപ്പിച്ച് നമ്മുടെ ഹൃദയം കുലുക്കുന്നത്?

Word by Word

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• daityeṣu: among the Daityas
• daityeṣu: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), बहुवचन

• prabhedṛk: one who distinguishes/recognizes differences
• prabhedṛk: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prabhedṛk (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (of ākṛtiḥ)

• syāt: would be
• syāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• ākṛtiḥ: appearance/form
• ākṛtiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ākṛti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• dānaveṣu: among the Dānavas
• dānaveṣu: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dānava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), बहुवचन

• iyam: this (she/this form)
• iyam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• mahā: great
• mahā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत्-पूर्वपद (indeclinable-like adjectival prefix)

• sādhvasa: fear/terror
• sādhvasa: Purvapada (Compound-member/पूर्वपद)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sādhvasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; समासपूर्वपद

• daḥ: giving/causing
• daḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: da (धातु) + kvip (क्विप्-कृत्) → daḥ (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कृदन्त (agentive)

• kaḥ: who?
• kaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक-सर्वनाम

• ayam: this (one)
• ayam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• asmākam: of us/our
• asmākam: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• hṛt: heart
• hṛt: Purvapada (Compound-member/पूर्वपद)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hṛd (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक-रूप (समासपूर्वपद)

• prakaṃpanaḥ: trembling/shaking
• prakaṃpanaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prakaṃpana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

Speaker

Surāḥ (the gods), collectively

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A host of daityas/dānavas recoil in confusion, pointing toward an unprecedented, terrifying form; faces show dread, hearts ‘quake’ as the unknown power approaches.

Characters & Entities

• Daitya
• Dānava
• Surāḥ (Devas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True spiritual force is not reducible to familiar ‘enemy’ categories; awe arises when the cosmic order reveals an unexpected agent.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None explicitly; the verse is part of the Kāśī-khaṇḍa’s larger sacred narrative world.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse.