Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

केषांचित्पुरतो वादीद्ग्रहचारं प्रदर्शयन् । एकराशिस्थिताः सौरि सितभौमा न शोभनाः

Transliteration

keṣāṃcitpurato vādīdgrahacāraṃ pradarśayan | ekarāśisthitāḥ sauri sitabhaumā na śobhanāḥ

Translation

ചിലരുടെ മുമ്പിൽ ഒരുവൻ ഗ്രഹചാരം കാണിച്ചുകൊണ്ട് പറഞ്ഞു—‘ശനി, ശുക്രൻ, മംഗളം ഒരേ രാശിയിൽ നിലകൊള്ളുന്നത് ശുഭമല്ല.’

Word by Word

• केषाम्: of some
• केषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; अनिश्चितसम्बन्ध (of some)

• चित्: (indefinite)
• चित्: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चित् (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (indefinite particle) ‘केषाम्’ इत्यनेन सह

• पुरतः: in front (of)
• पुरतः: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb/postposition), ‘समक्षम्’

• वादीत्: spoke
• वादीत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वद् (धातु)
• Form: लुङ्-लकार (Aorist/Imperfective past), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• ग्रहचारम्: the course/motion of planets
• ग्रहचारम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ग्रहचार (प्रातिपदिक) = ग्रह (प्रातिपदिक) + चार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्रदर्शयन्: showing
• प्रदर्शयन्: Kriya-visheshana (Concomitant action/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दृश् (धातु) + प्र- (उपसर्ग); शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त (वर्तमान कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ (Present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘वादीत्’ इति क्रियायाः सहकारी

• एकराशिस्थिताः: situated in one zodiac sign
• एकराशिस्थिताः: Karta (Subject complement/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एकराशिस्थित (प्रातिपदिक) = एक (प्रातिपदिक) + राशि (प्रातिपदिक) + स्थित (कृदन्त; √स्था + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘सौरि-…’ इत्यादीनां विशेषण

• सौरिः: Saturn
• सौरिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सौरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; शनैश्चरः (Saturn)

• सितभौमाः: the pale/inauspicious Mars (and such)
• सितभौमाः: Karta (Co-subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सितभौम (प्रातिपदिक) = सित (प्रातिपदिक) + भौम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘श्वेत-भौम’ (Mars in pale/inauspicious aspect) इत्यर्थे

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

• शोभनाः: auspicious/good
• शोभनाः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शोभन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicative)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A learned speaker before townspeople, pointing to a chart/sky, explaining planetary motions; above, a stylized zodiac wheel with Śani, Śukra, and Maṅgala clustered in one sign, casting a shadow over the city.

Characters & Entities

• graha (planets)
• Śani (Sauri)
• Śukra (Sita)
• Maṅgala (Bhauma)
• rāśi (zodiac sign)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Cosmic order and human order are linked in Purāṇic thought; unfavorable alignments warn rulers to strengthen dharma and restraint.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the implied sacred setting, where even astrological signs are read in relation to the city’s welfare.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit prescription; it reports an astrological inauspiciousness (aśubha graha-yoga).