Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

अद्यैव किं न गच्छेयं काशीं ब्रह्मन्स्वमायया । दिवोदासं स्वधर्मस्थं न तूल्लंघितुमुत्सहे

Transliteration

adyaiva kiṃ na gaccheyaṃ kāśīṃ brahmansvamāyayā | divodāsaṃ svadharmasthaṃ na tūllaṃghitumutsahe

Translation

ഹേ ബ്രഹ്മൻ, എന്റെ സ്വമായാശക്തിയാൽ ഇന്നുതന്നെ കാശിയിലേക്കു പോകാതിരിക്കേണ്ടതെന്ത്? എന്നാൽ സ്വധർമ്മത്തിൽ സ്ഥിരനായ ദിവോദാസനെ ലംഘിക്കാൻ എനിക്ക് ധൈര്യമില്ല.

Word by Word

• adya: today
• adya: Kriya-visheshana (Temporal adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: adya (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (today)

• eva: indeed, just
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (indeed/just)

• kim: why?
• kim: Sambandha (Interrogative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative particle: why/what)

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

• gaccheyam: should I go
• gaccheyam: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; धातु: गम् (to go)

• kāśīm: to Kāśī
• kāśīm: Karma (Destination/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म/गन्तव्य), एकवचन

• brahman: O Brahmā
• brahman: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• sva-māyayā: by (your) own power/illusion
• sva-māyayā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + māyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (‘स्वा माया’), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), एकवचन

• divodāsam: Divodāsa
• divodāsam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: divodāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन

• sva-dharma-stham: abiding in his own duty
• sva-dharma-stham: Karma (Object-Qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + stha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष: ‘स्वधर्मे स्थितम्’), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying divodāsam)

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

• tu: but, indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (but/indeed)

• ullaṅghitum: to overstep, to transgress
• ullaṅghitum: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ud (उपसर्ग) + laṅgh (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive), धातु: लङ्घ् (to overstep), उपसर्ग: उद् (up/over)

• utsahe: I dare/am able
• utsahe: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ut-sah (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; धातु: उत्सह् (to be able/dare)

Speaker

Śiva (Śrīkaṇṭha)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis at Naimiṣāraṇya (frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva contemplates going to Kāśī instantly by divine power but refrains, acknowledging Divodāsa’s steadfast dharma; Brahmā stands nearby as counselor, while Kāśī glows in the distance, unreachable by mere force.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Brahmā
• Divodāsa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is honored even by the divine; righteous kingship (svadharma) is not casually violated, even for access to a supreme sacred place.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), desired immediately even by Śiva, yet approached within the boundaries of dharma.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse emphasizes dharmic restraint and the narrative of Divodāsa’s governance in Kāśī.