Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

काशी रजोपि यन्मूर्ध्नि पतेदप्यनिलाहतम् । चंद्रशेखरतन्मूर्धा भवेच्चंद्रकलांकितः

Transliteration

kāśī rajopi yanmūrdhni patedapyanilāhatam | caṃdraśekharatanmūrdhā bhaveccaṃdrakalāṃkitaḥ

Translation

แม้เพียงผงธุลีแห่งกาศีเม็ดหนึ่ง ถูกลมพัดกระทบแล้วตกลงบนกระหม่อมผู้ใด กระหม่อมผู้นั้นย่อมเป็นดุจจันทรเศขระ (พระศิวะ) ผู้ประดับด้วยเสี้ยวจันทร์

Word by Word

• काशी: Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• काशी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• रजः: dust
• रजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रजस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अपि-अर्थे ‘even/also’

• यत्: which/that (relative)
• यत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun)

• मूर्ध्नि: on (the) head
• मूर्ध्नि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूर्धन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• पतेत्: should fall
• पतेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्/विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), ‘even/also’

• अनिलाहतम्: struck by wind
• अनिलाहतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनिल (प्रातिपदिक) + आहत (कृदन्त, √हन्)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (तृतीया-तत्पुरुष: अनिलेन आहतम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त)

• चन्द्रशेखर-तत्-मूर्धा: (it becomes) the head of Chandrasekhara (Śiva)
• चन्द्रशेखर-तत्-मूर्धा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चन्द्रशेखर (प्रातिपदिक) + तत् (सर्वनाम) + मूर्धन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: चन्द्रशेखरस्य तत् मूर्धा); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• चन्द्रकलाङ्कितः: marked/adorned with the moon’s crescent
• चन्द्रकलाङ्कितः: Karta (Predicate/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चन्द्रकला (प्रातिपदिक) + अङ्कित (कृदन्त, √अङ्क्)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (तृतीया/षष्ठीभाव: चन्द्रकलया/चन्द्रकलायाः अङ्कितः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context: Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (dust of Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage-inquirer audience (ṛṣis/śaunaka-lineage typical frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim in Kāśī’s narrow lane; a gust lifts golden dust that settles on his head; above, Candraśekhara Śiva is envisioned with the crescent moon, blessing the devotee.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Candraśekhara (Śiva)
• Candra-kalā (crescent moon)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s sanctity is so great that even incidental contact with its dust is said to confer Śiva-like auspiciousness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) as a supremely sanctifying kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No formal rite; the verse highlights the inherent holiness of Kāśī—contact (even accidental) is meritorious.