Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 94

Devanagari script

तेषामेवविचाराच्च हानिरेषा सुपर्वणाम् । तद्बलेन च किं राज्यं मयेदमुररीकृतम्

Transliteration

teṣāmevavicārācca hānireṣā suparvaṇām | tadbalena ca kiṃ rājyaṃ mayedamurarīkṛtam

Translation

ด้วยอุบายและการใคร่ครวญของพวกเขาเอง ความสูญเสียนี้จึงบังเกิดแก่เหล่าเทวะ และหากอำนาจอธิปไตยตั้งอยู่เพียงด้วยกำลังของพวกเขา แล้วราชอาณาจักรนี้ที่เรารับไว้ว่าเป็นของเรานั้นจักมีความหมายอันใด?

Word by Word

• teṣām: of them
• teṣām: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural; pronoun

• eva: only/indeed
• eva: Sambandha-bodhaka (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (एव अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात) restrictive/emphatic

• vicārāt: from (their) deliberation
• vicārāt: Hetu (Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vicāra (विचार प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (च अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चय)

• hāniḥ: loss
• hāniḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hāni (हानि प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• eṣā: this
• eṣā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of hāniḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (एतद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; demonstrative pronoun used adjectivally

• suparvaṇām: of the Suparvans (a class/group)
• suparvaṇām: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: suparvan (सुपर्वन् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural

• tat-balena: by that power
• tat-balena: Karaṇa (Instrument/means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + bala (बल प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular; तत्पुरुष: ‘that’ + ‘power’ → ‘by that power’

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (च अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चय)

• kim: what (use)?
• kim: Prayojana-prashna (Rhetorical interrogative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kim (किम् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Interrogative particle used adverbially (निपातवत्) ‘what use?’

• rājyam: kingdom
• rājyam: Karma/Pradhāna (Thing under discussion)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājya (राज्य प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd), Singular; here as predicate/thing questioned

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Karta (Agent in passive construction)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (अस्मद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular; pronoun

• idam: this
• idam: Karta (Subject of passive predicate)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (इदम् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; demonstrative pronoun

• urarīkṛtam: accepted/undertaken
• urarīkṛtam: Kriyā (Predicative complement in passive)
• Type: Verb
• Root: urarī-kṛ (उररीकृ; कृ धातु with prefix-like formation)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; ‘accepted/assumed/undertaken’

Speaker

Narrator presenting the King’s self-questioning

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and ṛṣis (frame typical)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The king, troubled, looks at his crown or throne with detachment; behind him, faint silhouettes of devas suggest the unseen powers influencing events; the court appears dimmer, emphasizing inner renunciation.

Characters & Entities

• Devas (Suparvaṇām)
• King (ruler)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly authority is fragile without dharma and divine order; a wise ruler questions ego-based possession of power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting remains Kāśī Khaṇḍa; this verse is a political-theological reflection rather than site description.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it concerns the philosophy of rule and dependence on higher powers.