Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

तस्य धर्मविरोधेन यथातत्क्षेत्रमुद्वसेत् । तथा कुरुष्व भो क्षिप्रं मावमंस्थाश्च तं नृपम्

Transliteration

tasya dharmavirodhena yathātatkṣetramudvaset | tathā kuruṣva bho kṣipraṃ māvamaṃsthāśca taṃ nṛpam

Translation

โอ พระสุริยะ โปรดกระทำโดยเร็ว เพื่อว่าเพราะการขัดขวางธรรมะของเขา กษัตริย์นั้นจะละทิ้งเขตศักดิ์สิทธิ์ (กาศี); แต่อย่าได้ดูหมิ่นพระราชานั้นเลย

Word by Word

• तस्य: of him/that
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सर्वनाम-रूप (genitive singular)

• धर्म-विरोधेन: by opposition to dharma
• धर्म-विरोधेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + विरोध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (धर्मस्य विरोधः)

• यथा: as, in such a way that
• यथा: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमान/प्रकारवाचक (comparative/manner)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• क्षेत्रम्: the territory/field (realm)
• क्षेत्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• उद्वसेत्: should dwell/should reside
• उद्वसेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद्+वस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• तथा: thus, accordingly
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (thus/in that manner)

• कुरुष्व: do (you)!
• कुरुष्व: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम् (कुरुष्व)

• भो: O!
• भो: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भो (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सम्बोधन-निपात (vocative particle)

• क्षिप्रम्: quickly
• क्षिप्रम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्षिप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाववत् क्रियाविशेषण (adverbial accusative)

• मा: do not
• मा: Pratishedha (Prohibition/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपात (prohibitive particle)

• अवमंस्थाः: (you) should not disrespect/insult
• अवमंस्थाः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव+मन्/मन्थ् (धातु; अवमन्थ्/अवमन् = अवमानयति)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; निषेधार्थे ‘मा’ सह (prohibitive)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; सर्वनाम-रूप

• नृपम्: the king
• नृपम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa frame: Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A supplicant or sage addresses Sūrya, urging swift action so an adhārmika king leaves Kāśī, while explicitly warning against contempt; Kāśī’s ghāṭas and temples glow in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Ravi (Sūrya)
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• king (nṛpa)
• kṣetra (sacred field)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even when correcting wrongdoing, one should act firmly yet without contempt; dharma is upheld without hatred.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī-kṣetra (Vārāṇasī), presented as a sacred field that must not be ruled in opposition to dharma.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed; the verse focuses on righteous governance and preserving the sanctity of the kṣetra.