Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 69

Devanagari script

मन्ये दृषत्स्वरूपोसि दृषदोपि कठोरधीः । यतो विश्वेश्वरं काश्यां न वेत्सि गिरिजापतिम्

Transliteration

manye dṛṣatsvarūposi dṛṣadopi kaṭhoradhīḥ | yato viśveśvaraṃ kāśyāṃ na vetsi girijāpatim

Translation

നീ കല്ലുദേഹിയാണെന്നും—കല്ലിനേക്കാളും കഠിനബുദ്ധിയുള്ളവനാണെന്നും—ഞാൻ കരുതുന്നു; കാരണം കാശിയിൽ വിശ്വേശ്വരനായ ഗിരിജാപതിയെ നീ തിരിച്ചറിയുന്നില്ല.

Word by Word

• मन्ये: I think
• मन्ये: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मन् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• दृषत्-स्वरूपः: one whose nature is stone-like
• दृषत्-स्वरूपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दृषद् (प्रातिपदिक) + स्वरूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—दृषदः स्वरूपम् यस्य (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• असि: you are
• असि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन

• दृषदः: of a stone
• दृषदः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दृषद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अप्यर्थ (also/even)

• कठोरधीः: hard-minded
• कठोरधीः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कठोर (प्रातिपदिक) + धी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—कठोरा धीः यस्य/कठोरा धीः (कर्मधारय)

• यतः: because
• यतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यतस् (अव्यय/सम्बन्ध)
• Form: अव्यय, हेत्वर्थक (causal: ‘because/since’)

• विश्वेश्वरम्: Viśveśvara (Lord of the universe)
• विश्वेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्वेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—विश्वस्य ईश्वरः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• काश्याम्: in Kāśī
• काश्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात

• वेत्सि: you know
• वेत्सि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• गिरिजापतिम्: the husband of Girijā (Śiva)
• गिरिजापतिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गिरिजा (प्रातिपदिक) + पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—गिरिजायाः पतिः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

Speaker

Kārpaṭika

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Viśveśvara (Kāśī)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājendra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The mendicant rebukes the king: ‘stone-bodied, harder than stone-minded’ for not recognizing Viśveśvara, Girijā-pati, in Kāśī; dramatic facial expression and pointing gesture toward the shrine.

Characters & Entities

• Viśveśvara
• Kāśī
• Girijā (Pārvatī)
• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Not recognizing the divine in the foremost sacred place is portrayed as inner hardness; devotion requires discernment and reverence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), explicitly as the seat of Viśveśvara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a theological admonition encouraging recognition and devotion.