Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

प्राणयात्रां विहायापि कदाचित्स्थिरमानसौ । नोड्डीयवांछितं यातः पश्यंतौ कौतुकं खगौ

Transliteration

prāṇayātrāṃ vihāyāpi kadācitsthiramānasau | noḍḍīyavāṃchitaṃ yātaḥ paśyaṃtau kautukaṃ khagau

Translation

ചിലപ്പോഴൊക്കെ സ്ഥിരമനസ്സുള്ള ആ രണ്ടു പക്ഷികൾ തങ്ങളുടെ ആഹാരാന്വേഷണയാത്ര പോലും ഉപേക്ഷിച്ചു; ഇഷ്ടസ്ഥലങ്ങളിലേക്കു പറന്നുപോകാതെ, അത്ഭുതദൃശ്യം നോക്കി അവിടെത്തന്നെ നിലകൊണ്ടു।

Word by Word

• प्राणयात्राम्: life-sustenance/means of livelihood
• प्राणयात्राम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राणयात्रा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; समासः—प्राण + यात्रा (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः)

• विहाय: having abandoned
• विहाय: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + हा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभावः; ‘having abandoned’

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अपि-अर्थ

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

• स्थिरमानसौ: steady-minded (two)
• स्थिरमानसौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्थिर (प्रातिपदिक) + मानस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; समासः—स्थिरं मानसः यस्य (कर्मधारयः)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• उड्डीय: having flown
• उड्डीय: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उत् + डी (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभावः; ‘having flown up’

• वाञ्छितम्: desired (thing)
• वाञ्छितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वाञ्छित (प्रातिपदिक; √वाञ्छ्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle)

• यातः: went
• यातः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनार्थे द्विवचन-सन्दर्भः; ‘gone’ (agreeing with खगौ)

• पश्यन्तौ: seeing
• पश्यन्तौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्यय (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन

• कौतुकम्: a marvel/curiosity
• कौतुकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौतुक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• खगौ: two birds
• खगौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: खग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context) speaking to Agastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Trilocana (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Muni/Brāhmaṇa interlocutor (addressed as ‘mune’, ‘vipra’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two small birds, calm and intent, remain perched near a bustling Kāśī temple, ignoring flight and food as they watch a wondrous sacred scene unfolding.

Characters & Entities

• pigeons/birds (khaga)
• devotional spectacle (kautuka, implied temple worship)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True devotion steadies the mind so strongly that even basic impulses are subdued before sacred darśana.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The immediate environment of Trilocana Śiva’s worship in Kāśī, experienced as a ‘kautuka’ (marvel).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit injunction; the verse highlights the transformative pull of darśana and worship.