Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

जातिस्वभावमात्सर्यं त्यक्त्वैकत्र रमंति च । शशाः क्रीडंति च वृकैस्तैः पृष्ठलुंठनैर्मुहुः

Transliteration

jātisvabhāvamātsaryaṃ tyaktvaikatra ramaṃti ca | śaśāḥ krīḍaṃti ca vṛkaistaiḥ pṛṣṭhaluṃṭhanairmuhuḥ

Translation

जातिस्वभावजन्यं मात्सर्यं त्यक्त्वा सर्वे एकत्र रमन्ते; शशाः अपि वृकैः सह मुहुः पृष्ठलुठनैः क्रीडन्ति।

Word by Word

• jāti-svabhāva-mātsaryam: jealousy arising from (one’s) nature/species
• jāti-svabhāva-mātsaryam: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jāti (प्रातिपदिक) + svabhāva (प्रातिपदिक) + mātsarya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (जात्या/स्वभावेन सम्बन्धि मात्सर्यम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• tyaktvā: having given up
• tyaktvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √tyaj (धातु) → tyaktvā (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Gerund/Absolutive), अव्यय; पूर्वक्रिया (having abandoned)

• ekatra: together/in one place
• ekatra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Locative sense)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ekatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb of place: in one place/together)

• ramanti: they delight/play
• ramanti: Kriyā (क्रिया/Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ram (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• śaśāḥ: hares/rabbits
• śaśāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• krīḍanti: they play
• krīḍanti: Kriyā (क्रिया/Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √krīḍ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• vṛkaiḥ: with wolves
• vṛkaiḥ: Sahakāraka (सह/Association; सहार्थे तृतीया)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• taiḥ: with those (wolves)
• taiḥ: Sahakāraka (सह/Association)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• pṛṣṭha-luṃṭhanaiḥ: by/with rolling on (their) backs
• pṛṣṭha-luṃṭhanaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण/Instrument; manner)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pṛṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक) + luṃṭhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (पृष्ठे लुठनम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• muhuḥ: again and again
• muhuḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: muhuḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb of frequency: repeatedly)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kshetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: In a Kāśī clearing, hares and wolves romp together, rolling on their backs in carefree play, while the sacred city’s aura subtly pervades the scene.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Śaśa (hare)
• Vṛka (wolf)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is praised as a place where mātsarya (jealous hostility) is relinquished—an ethical ideal for pilgrims to cultivate.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī-kṣetra as the overarching sacred environment.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse implies moral discipline rather than a stated ritual.