Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

आतायियूकगृध्राद्यैः पुरीमुपरिचारिभिः । सूच्यतेत्याहितं किंचिद्ध्रुवमत्र निवासिनाम्

Transliteration

ātāyiyūkagṛdhrādyaiḥ purīmuparicāribhiḥ | sūcyatetyāhitaṃ kiṃciddhruvamatra nivāsinām

Translation

നഗരത്തിൽ കള്ളന്മാർ, പേൻ, കഴുകൻ മുതലായവ അധികമായി സഞ്ചരിക്കുമ്പോൾ, ഇവിടെ വസിക്കുന്നവർക്ക് ഏതോ അനർത്ഥം നിശ്ചയമാണെന്ന് സൂചിപ്പിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• आतायि: robber/assailant
• आतायि: Sambandha (Compound member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आतायिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, (समासपूर्वपद-रूप)

• यूका: louse
• यूका: Sambandha (Compound member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यूका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, (समासपूर्वपद-रूप)

• गृध्र: vulture
• गृध्र: Sambandha (Compound member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृध्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, (समासपूर्वपद-रूप)

• आद्यैः: and others (like these)
• आद्यैः: Karana (Instrument/means/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘आतायि-यूका-गृध्र’ इत्यादि-समूहवाचक

• आतायियूकगृध्राद्यैः: by robbers, lice, vultures, etc.
• आतायियूकगृध्राद्यैः: Karana (Instrument/means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आतायि + यूका + गृध्र + आदि (प्रातिपदिक-समूह)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (enumerative)

• पुरीम्: the city
• पुरीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• उपरिचारिभिः: by those moving above/hovering
• उपरिचारिभिः: Karana (Instrument/means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपरि (अव्यय) + √चर् (धातु) + णिनि/इनि-प्रत्यय (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक: चारिन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘उपरि-चारिन्’ = ‘above-moving/hovering’

• सूच्यते: is indicated
• सूच्यते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √सूच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोगः (is indicated)

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotative/इति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/वाक्यसमाप्तिसूचक निपात (quotative particle)

• आहितम्: has been stated/laid down
• आहितम्: Kriya (Reported statement/कथन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √धा (धातु) + आ- (उपसर्ग); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘स्थापित/कथित’ इत्यर्थे

• किंचित्: something
• किंचित्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; अनिश्चितपरिमाण (indefinite)

• ध्रुवम्: certainly
• ध्रुवम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ध्रुव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावे नपुंसक-रूपेण क्रियाविशेषण (certainly)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (locative adverb)

• निवासिनाम्: of the residents
• निवासिनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निवासिन् (प्रातिपदिक; √वस् + नि- उपसर्ग + इनि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Streets of Kāśī with ominous presence: robbers lurking, people scratching from lice infestation, vultures circling rooftops and cremation-adjacent spaces; anxious residents looking upward and around.

Characters & Entities

• purī (city)
• ātāyi (robber)
• yūka (louse)
• gṛdhra (vulture)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When adharma spreads (violence, impurity, scavengers), it becomes a visible omen; governance and personal conduct must return to dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī as the sacred civic space where even social signs are read as dharmic indicators.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite; the verse is diagnostic, pointing to impending harm.