Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

पुरी परिवृता स्वप्ने मृगयूथैः समंततः । रोरूयमाणैरत्यर्थं मासेनैवोद्वसी भवेत्

Transliteration

purī parivṛtā svapne mṛgayūthaiḥ samaṃtataḥ | rorūyamāṇairatyarthaṃ māsenaivodvasī bhavet

Translation

ସ୍ୱପ୍ନରେ ପୁରୀକୁ ସମସ୍ତ ଦିଗରୁ ବନ୍ୟମୃଗ ଦଳ ଭୟଙ୍କର ଚିତ୍କାର କରି ଘେରିଥିବା ଦେଖାଗଲେ, ଏକ ମାସ ମଧ୍ୟରେ ସେ ପୁରୀ ନିର୍ଜନ ହୋଇଯାଏ।

Word by Word

• पुरी: the city
• पुरी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• परिवृता: surrounded
• परिवृता: Kriya-visheshana (Predicative participle/विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वृत् (धातु) + परि- (उपसर्ग); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘पुरी’ इति विशेषणभावे

• स्वप्ने: in a dream
• स्वप्ने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वप्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• मृगयूथैः: by herds of animals
• मृगयूथैः: Karana (Instrument/means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृगयूथ (प्रातिपदिक) = मृग (प्रातिपदिक) + यूथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• समन्ततः: on all sides
• समन्ततः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: समन्ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), सर्वतोभावे (on all sides)

• रोरूयमाणैः: howling/crying
• रोरूयमाणैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √रु (धातु) (रोरूय-देशीय/देशिदेरिवेटिव) + शानच्-प्रत्यय (वर्तमान कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शानच् (Present middle participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘मृगयूथैः’ इति विशेषण

• अत्यर्थम्: excessively
• अत्यर्थम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्यर्थम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), तीव्रार्थक (intensifier)

• मासेन: within a month
• मासेन: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कालपरिमाणे

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अवधारण

• उद्वसी: deserted
• उद्वसी: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उद्वसिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भावे ‘निर्जन/उज्झित’ इत्यर्थे, (प्रयोगे भविष्यद्वाक्ये)

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dreamlike vision: the city of Kāśī encircled by wild beasts in herds, mouths open in terrible cries; moonlit ghats and silhouettes of temples inside the ring of animals.

Characters & Entities

• purī (city)
• svapna (dream)
• mṛgayūtha (herds of beasts)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Collective fear and disorder are portrayed as karmic omens; rulers and citizens must restore dharma to prevent social collapse.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative setting remains Kāśī; the verse uses the city as a sacred stage where dharma’s rise or fall becomes visible through omens.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it describes a svapna-utpāta (dream omen) prompting remedial action.