Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

वने वनौकसो जाता ग्रामेषु ग्रामवासिनः । दातारो याचितारश्च रक्षितारश्च घातुकाः

Transliteration

vane vanaukaso jātā grāmeṣu grāmavāsinaḥ | dātāro yācitāraśca rakṣitāraśca ghātukāḥ

Translation

Di rimba kami menjadi penghuni hutan, di desa kami menjadi orang kampung—kadang sebagai pemberi sedekah, kadang sebagai peminta, kadang sebagai pelindung, dan kadang sebagai pembunuh.

Word by Word

• वने: in the forest
• वने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• वनौकसः: forest-dwellers
• वनौकसः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन + ओकस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (वने ओकः यस्य/येषां = forest-dwellers)

• जाताः: became/were born
• जाताः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु) → जात (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; (वयम्) जाताः = became/were born

• ग्रामेषु: in villages
• ग्रामेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ग्राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचन

• ग्रामवासिनः: village-dwellers
• ग्रामवासिनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ग्राम + वासिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (ग्रामे वसन्ति)

• दातारः: givers
• दातारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दा (धातु) → दातृ (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: तृ-प्रत्ययान्त कर्तृवाचक; पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• याचितारः: beggars/askers
• याचितारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: याच् (धातु) → याचितृ (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: तृ-प्रत्ययान्त कर्तृवाचक; पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय

• रक्षितारः: protectors
• रक्षितारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रक्ष् (धातु) → रक्षितृ (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: तृ-प्रत्ययान्त कर्तृवाचक; पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय

• घातुकाः: killers/slayers
• घातुकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: घातुक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

Speaker

Pilgrims/supplicants (addressing Śiva in Kāśī; contextually within Skanda’s narration to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Īśvara (the Lord)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A moral carousel: forest hermit-like dwellers, village households, a donor offering alms, a beggar receiving, a guardian with staff, and a killer with weapon—each scene fading into the next under the gaze of the Lord.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Across births one alternates between virtue and violence; only higher knowledge and divine refuge stabilize dharma and end wandering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the overarching sacred setting; the verse highlights the need for the purifying power associated with Śiva in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; charity (dāna) is mentioned only as a role, not as an injunction.