Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

उवाच चेति बहुशो धिङ्मां क्रोधवशंगतम् । त्रैलोक्याभयदां काशीं शप्तुमुद्यतचेतसम्

Transliteration

uvāca ceti bahuśo dhiṅmāṃ krodhavaśaṃgatam | trailokyābhayadāṃ kāśīṃ śaptumudyatacetasam

Translation

ਉਹ ਮੁੜ ਮੁੜ ਬੋਲਿਆ: “ਧਿਕਾਰ ਹੈ ਮੈਨੂੰ, ਜੋ ਕ੍ਰੋਧ ਦੇ ਵੱਸ ਹੋ ਗਿਆ! ਤਿੰਨਾਂ ਲੋਕਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਅਭਯ ਦੇਣ ਵਾਲੀ ਕਾਸ਼ੀ ਨੂੰ ਸ਼ਾਪਣ ਲਈ ਵੀ ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿੱਤ ਉੱਠ ਪਿਆ ਸੀ।”

Word by Word

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक-निपातः (conjunction)

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इति-शब्दः (quotative particle)

• bahuśaḥ: many times, repeatedly
• bahuśaḥ: Adhikarana (Manner/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bahuśas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषणम् (adverb)

• dhiṅ: shame!, fie!
• dhiṅ: Sambandha (Exclamation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dhiṅ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निन्दार्थक-निपातः (particle of censure)

• mām: me
• mām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; उत्तमपुरुष; द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• krodha-vaśaṃ-gatam: one who has come under the control of anger
• krodha-vaśaṃ-gatam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: krodha (प्रातिपदिक) + vaśa (प्रातिपदिक) + gata (√gam धातु, क्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः; कृदन्त (क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (mām)

• trailokya-abhaya-dām: granting fearlessness to the three worlds
• trailokya-abhaya-dām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri (संख्या) + loka (प्रातिपदिक) + abhaya (प्रातिपदिक) + dā (√dā धातु, कृत्/प्रातिपदिक-रूप)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (kāśīm)

• kāśīm: Kashi
• kāśīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• śaptum: to curse
• śaptum: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śap (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive); क्रियार्थक-अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः

• udyata-cetasam: with mind set/raised (ready)
• udyata-cetasam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: udyata (उद्√यम् धातु, क्त) + cetas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (mām)

Speaker

Skanda (narration of the sage’s words)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The sage repeatedly utters ‘dhik mām’ (shame on me), palms trembling; behind him, Kāśī appears luminous—ghāṭas, lamps, and a protective aura suggesting ‘abhaya’.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Three worlds (trailokya)
• Sage (muni)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Recognizing Kāśī’s supreme spiritual status leads to repentance; anger must not target what sustains universal welfare.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), described as granting fearlessness even across the three worlds.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is praise (māhātmya) and moral correction.