Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 33

Devanagari script

हा कालराजप्रति भूतमत्र प्रत्यष्टमिप्रत्यवनीसुतार्कम् । नाराधये मूलफलप्रसूनैः किं मय्यनागस्यपराधदृक्स्याः

Transliteration

hā kālarājaprati bhūtamatra pratyaṣṭamipratyavanīsutārkam | nārādhaye mūlaphalaprasūnaiḥ kiṃ mayyanāgasyaparādhadṛksyāḥ

Translation

โอ้ กาลราช! ในข้าผู้ไร้โทษนี้ ท่านเห็นความผิดอันใดเล่า ที่ ณ ที่นี้—ทุกวันอัษฏมีและทุกวันเดือนดับ—ข้าพเจ้าไม่ได้บูชาท่านด้วยรากไม้ ผลไม้ และดอกไม้?

Word by Word

• हा: alas! O!
• हा: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हा (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बोधनार्थक अव्यय (interjection/vocative particle)

• कालराज: O Kālarāja
• कालराज: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कालराज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (Vocative); एकवचन

• प्रति: towards, against
• प्रति: Pratiyogin/Direction (प्रति/दिशा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रति (अव्यय)
• Form: उपसर्ग/पूर्वसर्गरूपेण; अत्र अव्यय-पूर्वपद (towards/against)

• भूतम्: a being, spirit
• भूतम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Deśa (देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (here)

• प्रत्यष्टमि: on every Aṣṭamī (eighth lunar day)
• प्रत्यष्टमि: Kāla (काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रति (अव्यय) + अष्टमी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; अव्ययीभावः (प्रति अष्टमी = ‘on each Aṣṭamī’)

• प्रत्यवनीसुतार्कम्: at each ‘Avanīsuta-arka’ (a calendrical marker; lit. sun of the earth’s son)
• प्रत्यवनीसुतार्कम्: Kāla (काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रति (अव्यय) + अवनीसुत (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्क (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; अव्ययीभाव-समासः (प्रति + अवनीसुतार्कम्); अवनीसुतार्कः = ‘अवनीसुतस्य अर्कः’ (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः)

• न: not
• न: Nishedha (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation)

• आराधये: I worship, I propitiate
• आराधये: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ√राध् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present); आत्मनेपद; उत्तमपुरुष; एकवचन

• मूलफलप्रसूनैः: with roots, fruits, and flowers
• मूलफलप्रसूनैः: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूल (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रसून (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental); बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (मूलानि च फलानि च प्रसूनानि च)

• किम्: why? what?
• किम्: Prashna (प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक अव्ययप्रयोग (interrogative particle)

• मयि: in me, toward me
• मयि: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी (7th/Locative); एकवचन

• अनागस्य: of the innocent, guiltless
• अनागस्य: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/Genitive); एकवचन; विशेषण (of ‘me’)

• अपराधदृक्: one who sees fault, fault-finder
• अपराधदृक्: Karta/Predicate-noun (विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अपराध (प्रातिपदिक) + दृश्/दृक् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (अपराधस्य द्रष्टा/दृक्)

• स्याः: would you be?
• स्याः: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative); परस्मैपद; मध्यमपुरुष; एकवचन

Speaker

A sage/devotee addressing Kālarāja (Kālabhairava)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī – Kālarāja/Kālabhairava observance days

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Audience of the Kāśīkhaṇḍa discourse

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A distressed sage pleads before Kālarāja, palms raised in questioning; a lunar calendar motif is suggested—crescent/waning moon for Aṣṭamī and dark disk for Amāvāsyā—while offerings of roots, fruits, and flowers lie unoffered or newly gathered.

Characters & Entities

• Kālarāja
• Aṣṭamī
• Amāvāsyā (implied)
• Pūjā offerings (roots, fruits, flowers)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Neglect of regular worship toward the kṣetrapāla is treated as a serious lapse; sincere self-inquiry and repentance restore devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī, where Kālarāja/Kālabhairava is revered as the guardian deity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Regular propitiation on Aṣṭamī (and lunar observances implied) with simple offerings—roots, fruits, and flowers.