Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

अंत्यजा अपि तद्राष्ट्रे शंखचक्रांकधारिणः । संप्राप्य वैष्णवीं दीक्षां दीक्षिता इव संबभुः

Transliteration

aṃtyajā api tadrāṣṭre śaṃkhacakrāṃkadhāriṇaḥ | saṃprāpya vaiṣṇavīṃ dīkṣāṃ dīkṣitā iva saṃbabhuḥ

Translation

त्या राज्यात अंत्यजही शंख-चक्रांची अंगे धारण करीत; वैष्णवी दीक्षा प्राप्त करून ते जणू विधिवत् दीक्षितच भासत.

Word by Word

• अन्त्यजाः: outcastes; people of the lowest social group
• अन्त्यजाः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्त्यज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative/1st), बहुवचनम् (Plural)

• अपि: even; also
• अपि: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपातः (particle), समुच्चय/अपि-अर्थे ‘even/also’

• तत्-राष्ट्रे: in that kingdom
• तत्-राष्ट्रे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + राष्ट्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (Locative/7th), एकवचनम् (Singular); तत्पुरुष-समासः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: ‘of that’ + ‘kingdom’)

• शङ्ख-चक्र-अङ्क-धारिणः: bearing the marks/signs of conch and discus
• शङ्ख-चक्र-अङ्क-धारिणः: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier of अन्त्यजाः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शङ्ख (प्रातिपदिक) + चक्र (प्रातिपदिक) + अङ्क (प्रातिपदिक) + धारिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative/1st), बहुवचनम् (Plural); बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (उपपद-समासः: ‘bearing marks of conch and discus’)

• सम्प्राप्य: having obtained
• सम्प्राप्य: Kriya-viseshana (क्रियाविशेषण/Preceding action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-√प्राप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), ‘having attained/after obtaining’

• वैष्णवीम्: Vaiṣṇava; pertaining to Viṣṇu
• वैष्णवीम्: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier of दीक्षाम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वैष्णवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative/2nd), एकवचनम् (Singular)

• दीक्षाम्: initiation
• दीक्षाम्: Karma (कर्म/Object of सम्प्राप्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दीक्षा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative/2nd), एकवचनम् (Singular)

• दीक्षिताः: initiated
• दीक्षिताः: Karta (कर्ता/Predicate adjective of अन्त्यजाः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √दिक्ष् (धातु) → दीक्षित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

• इव: as if; like
• इव: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमा-अव्ययम् (comparative particle)

• सम्बभुः: they became; they appeared
• सम्बभुः: Kriya (क्रिया/Finite verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-√भू (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), बहुवचनम् (Plural)

Speaker

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

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dhārmic city-kingdom where even antyaja devotees bear śaṅkha and cakra emblems, standing in orderly lines near a shrine, faces serene, receiving blessings from a Vaiṣṇava ācārya.

Characters & Entities

• Śaṅkha
• Cakra
• Vaiṣṇavī dīkṣā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion and initiation into Vaiṣṇava dharma are portrayed as accessible beyond social status, transforming identity through bhakti.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī-kṣetra’s spiritual inclusivity and transformative power as narrated in Kāśīkhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Vaiṣṇavī dīkṣā (initiation) and the wearing/marking of śaṅkha and cakra emblems.