Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 97

Devanagari script

प्रिये कलावति यदि तव गंतव्यमेव हि । राज्यलक्ष्म्यानया किं मे चलया त्वद्विहीनया

Transliteration

priye kalāvati yadi tava gaṃtavyameva hi | rājyalakṣmyānayā kiṃ me calayā tvadvihīnayā

Translation

“ดูก่อนกาลาวตีผู้เป็นที่รัก—หากเจ้าจำต้องจากไปจริงแล้ว โชคลาภแห่งราชสมบัติอันไม่เที่ยงนี้จะมีประโยชน์อันใดแก่เรา เมื่อปราศจากเจ้า”

Word by Word

• प्रिये: O beloved
• प्रिये: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रिया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• कलावति: O Kalāvatī
• कलावति: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलावती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Condition marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तार्थक-अव्यय (conditional conjunction)

• तव: your
• तव: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• गन्तव्यम्: must go
• गन्तव्यम्: Kriya (Obligation predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (Gerundive/Obligative), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; भावे प्रयोगः—‘गन्तव्यम्’ = must be gone/you must go

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• हि: for, indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतौ/निश्चये अव्यय (particle: for/indeed)

• राज्यलक्ष्म्या: by the fortune of the kingdom
• राज्यलक्ष्म्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राज्य + लक्ष्मी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—राज्यस्य लक्ष्मीः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः)

• अनया: by this (fortune)
• अनया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• किम्: what (use)
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• मे: for me, my
• मे: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• चलया: fickle, unstable
• चलया: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying राज्यलक्ष्म्या/अनया)

• त्वद्विहीनया: devoid of you
• त्वद्विहीनया: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्वद् + विहीन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—त्वया विहीना (तृतीया-तत्पुरुषः/अपादानार्थः)

Speaker

Mālyaketu (the king)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Naimiṣāraṇya sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The king speaks earnestly to Kalāvatī, gesturing away from throne and regalia; the queen is central, symbolizing ‘true śrī’.

Characters & Entities

• Mālyaketu
• Kalāvatī
• Rājyalakṣmī (royal fortune)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly power and wealth are unstable; true value is placed on dharmic relationship and higher purpose.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī/Varanasi is the implied destination in this narrative sequence, though not named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed; it expresses vairāgya (dispassion) toward royal splendor.