Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

सुखिनोपि वयं जाता दुःखिनो वयमास्म च । जेतारश्च वयं जाताः पराजेतार एव च

Transliteration

sukhinopi vayaṃ jātā duḥkhino vayamāsma ca | jetāraśca vayaṃ jātāḥ parājetāra eva ca

Translation

ഞങ്ങൾ സുഖികളായും ജനിച്ചു, ദുഃഖികളായും ആയിരുന്നു; ഞങ്ങൾ ജയികളായും മാറി, പരാജിതരായും മാറി.

Word by Word

• सुखिनः: happy
• सुखिनः: Karta (Subject-complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुखिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण (वयम्)

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

• वयम्: we
• वयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• जाताः: became/were born
• जाताः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु) → जात (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• दुःखिनः: unhappy/sorrowful
• दुःखिनः: Karta (Subject-complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुःखिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण (वयम्)

• वयम्: we
• वयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• आस्म: were
• आस्म: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

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

• जेतारः: victors
• जेतारः: Karta (Subject-complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जि (धातु) → जेतृ (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: तृ-प्रत्ययान्त कर्तृवाचक; पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

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

• वयम्: we
• वयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• जाताः: became
• जाताः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु) → जात (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• पराजेतारः: those who are defeated/losers
• पराजेतारः: Karta (Subject-complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परा + जि (धातु) → पराजेतृ (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: तृ-प्रत्ययान्त कर्तृवाचक; पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (particle of emphasis)

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

Speaker

Pilgrims/supplicants (addressing Śiva in Kāśī; contextually within Skanda’s narration to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Īśvara (the Lord)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A balanced composition: one side shows joy and triumph—garlands, raised banners; the other shows sorrow and defeat—fallen standards, tears—while the central figure turns toward the Lord, seeking peace beyond both.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly opposites—joy/sorrow, victory/defeat—rotate endlessly in saṃsāra; liberation lies beyond these fluctuations.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the implied locus; the chapter’s thrust is that Śiva’s grace in Kāśī grants the transcendent goal.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None here; it is a reflection meant to awaken vairāgya (dispassion).