Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 91

Devanagari script

अथ तेषु प्रणष्टेषु बुद्ध्या विज्ञाय पक्षिराट् । कोशागारं सुधायाः स तत्रापश्यच्च रक्षिणः

Transliteration

atha teṣu praṇaṣṭeṣu buddhyā vijñāya pakṣirāṭ | kośāgāraṃ sudhāyāḥ sa tatrāpaśyacca rakṣiṇaḥ

Translation

ครั้นเมื่อพวกเขาถูกกระจายหายไปแล้ว พญาวิหคก็ใช้ปัญญาพิจารณา แลเห็นคลังสุธา (น้ำอมฤต) และ ณ ที่นั้นเองก็เห็นเหล่าผู้พิทักษ์ด้วย

Word by Word

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक-अव्यय (then/now)

• teṣu: among them/when they
• teṣu: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• praṇaṣṭeṣu: when (they were) vanished/lost
• praṇaṣṭeṣu: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra + √naś (धातु) + kta (क्त) → praṇaṣṭa (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्यय (past participle)

• buddhyā: by intelligence/with understanding
• buddhyā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: buddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• vijñāya: having understood
• vijñāya: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vi + √jñā (धातु) + ल्यप् (ल्यप्) → vijñāya (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• pakṣirāṭ: the king of birds
• pakṣirāṭ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pakṣi + rāj (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पक्षिणां राजा)

• kośāgāram: the storehouse/treasury-room
• kośāgāram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kośa + āgāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (कोशस्य आगारम्)

• sudhāyāḥ: of nectar/amṛta
• sudhāyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sudhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• apaśyat: saw
• apaśyat: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

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

• rakṣiṇaḥ: guards
• rakṣiṇaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rakṣin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन

Speaker

Narrator (Skanda in Kāśī-khaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Amṛta-kośa (mythic)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: After scattering opponents, Garuḍa pauses, eyes sharp with intelligence, and sights a sealed, radiant vault containing sudhā; armed guardians stand watch at its threshold.

Characters & Entities

• Garuḍa (Pakṣirāṭ)
• Sudhā/Amṛta
• Rakṣiṇaḥ (guards)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual resolve joined with discernment (buddhi) finds the guarded ‘nectar’—symbolizing that higher attainments are protected and require clarity and courage.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the verse centers on the celestial ‘sudhā’ treasury within the Kāśī-khaṇḍa storyline.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse.