Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

प्रतीच्यां रविरागत्य प्रोद्यंतं व्योम्नि शीतगुम् । पातयामास भूपृष्ठे तद्राज्यभयसूचकम्

Transliteration

pratīcyāṃ ravirāgatya prodyaṃtaṃ vyomni śītagum | pātayāmāsa bhūpṛṣṭhe tadrājyabhayasūcakam

Translation

പടിഞ്ഞാറിൽ നിന്ന് വന്ന സൂര്യൻ ആകാശത്തിൽ ഉദയിക്കുന്ന ചന്ദ്രനെ അടിച്ച് ഭൂമിയിലേക്കു വീഴ്ത്തി—ഇത് രാജ്യത്തിന് ഭയവും അപകടവും സൂചിപ്പിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• प्रतीच्याम्: in the west
• प्रतीच्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रतीची (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• रविः: the sun
• रविः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रवि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• आगत्य: having come
• आगत्य: Sambandha (Prior action/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √गम् (धातु) + आ (उपसर्ग)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund), पूर्वक्रिया (having come)

• प्रोद्यन्तम्: rising
• प्रोद्यन्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √उद् (धातु) + प्र (उपसर्ग)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (present participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (शीतगुम्)

• व्योम्नि: in the sky
• व्योम्नि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्योमन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• शीतगुम्: the moon (cool-goer)
• शीतगुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शीतगु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; चन्द्रवाचकः

• पातयामास: caused to fall
• पातयामास: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √पत् (धातु) (णिच् causative: पातय)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; णिच्-प्रयोगः (caused to fall)

• भू-पृष्ठे: on the earth’s surface
• भू-पृष्ठे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू (प्रातिपदिक) + पृष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (भूमेः पृष्ठम्)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (…सूचकम्)

• राज्य-भय-सूचकम्: indicating fear for the kingdom
• राज्य-भय-सूचकम्: Karma (Object complement/कर्मपूरक)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: राज्य (प्रातिपदिक) + भय (प्रातिपदिक) + सूचक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (राज्यस्य भयस्य सूचकम्)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A surreal sky: the sun appears in the western horizon moving unnaturally; the rising moon is struck and seems to fall toward the earth; below, a palace/fort silhouette and Kāśī ghats with people in panic and priests raising hands in śānti.

Characters & Entities

• Ravi (Sun)
• Candra (Moon)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When natural order appears inverted, it signals moral and political instability; dharma is urged as the stabilizing remedy.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The passage belongs to the Kāśī-khaṇḍa milieu (Kāśī’s sacred landscape), though the verse itself is an omen-report.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None is directly stated; the verse functions as a diagnostic sign (sūcaka) of royal danger.