Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

स एव दंड्योऽभूत्तस्य राज्ञो मित्रजितः क्षितौ । यो विष्णुभक्तिरहितः प्राणैरपि धनैरपि

Transliteration

sa eva daṃḍyo'bhūttasya rājño mitrajitaḥ kṣitau | yo viṣṇubhaktirahitaḥ prāṇairapi dhanairapi

Translation

മിത്രജിത് രാജാവിന്റെ ഭരണത്തിൽ ഭൂമിയിൽ വിഷ്ണുഭക്തിയില്ലാത്തവനേ ശിക്ഷാർഹനായി കണക്കാക്കി—ജീവനിലായാലും ധനത്തിലായാലും।

Word by Word

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

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

• daṇḍyaḥ: punishable
• daṇḍyaḥ: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daṇḍya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicative adjective: punishable)

• abhūt: became/was
• abhūt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• tasya: of him/of that (king)
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• rājñaḥ: of the king
• rājñaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• mitrajitaḥ: Mitrajit
• mitrajitaḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mitrajit (प्रातिपदik)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; नाम (proper name)

• kṣitau: on earth
• kṣitau: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣiti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject of relative clause/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-प्रत्यय (relative pronoun)

• viṣṇubhaktirahitaḥ: devoid of devotion to Viṣṇu
• viṣṇubhaktirahitaḥ: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक) + bhakti (प्रातिपदिक) + rahita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: विष्णोः भक्तिः (viṣṇubhakti) + तया रहितः (devoid of devotion to Viṣṇu)

• prāṇaiḥ: with (his) lives/breaths
• prāṇaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

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

• dhanaiḥ: with wealth
• dhanaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

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

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative, typically Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Royal court of Mitrajit: the king holds a scepter of justice; a lone offender stands aside marked not for crime against persons but for irreverence/lack of devotion; behind, devotees offer lamps to Hari, showing the realm’s standard.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Mitrajit

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Bhakti is presented as the central public virtue; society is protected by aligning rule with devotion and dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kāśī-kṣetra setting (Kāśīkhaṇḍa) where devotion is portrayed as the highest civic principle.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite; the verse stresses adherence to Viṣṇu-bhakti as a normative dharmic requirement.