Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

शैलाकारं तमायांतं दृष्ट्वा भगवती गजम् । बद्ध्वा पाशेन जवतः खङ्गेन करमच्छिनत्

Transliteration

śailākāraṃ tamāyāṃtaṃ dṛṣṭvā bhagavatī gajam | baddhvā pāśena javataḥ khaṅgena karamacchinat

Translation

เมื่อทอดพระเนตรช้างนั้นมีรูปดุจภูผา พุ่งเข้ามาหา พระภควตีเทวีจึงทรงคล้องบาศผูกไว้โดยฉับไว แล้วทรงใช้พระขรรค์ตัดงวงของมันขาด

Word by Word

• शैलाकारम्: having the form of a mountain
• शैलाकारम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शैल + आकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; शैलस्य आकारः इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः; adjective to तम्

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

• आयान्तम्: coming, approaching
• आयान्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ + या (धातु) → आयान्त् (वर्तमान-कृदन्त/शतृ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकाले कृदन्त; तम् इति विशेषण

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दृश् (धातु) → दृष्ट्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund); पूर्वक्रिया

• भगवती: the Goddess
• भगवती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• गजम्: the elephant
• गजम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• बद्ध्वा: having bound
• बद्ध्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: बन्ध् (धातु) → बद्ध्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund); पूर्वक्रिया

• पाशेन: with a noose
• पाशेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• जवतः: of the swift (one)
• जवतः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; गजस्य विशेषण (of the swift one)

• खङ्गेन: with a sword
• खङ्गेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: खङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• करम्: the hand (foreleg)
• करम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• अच्छिनत्: cut off
• अच्छिनत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: छिद् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/past), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa context, typically Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A mountain-bodied elephant-asura charges; the Goddess stands poised, casting a noose to bind it and raising a gleaming sword to sever the trunk in one swift arc.

Characters & Entities

• Bhagavatī (Goddess)
• Gaja (elephant-form demon)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine protection prevails in Kāśī: arrogance and violent force are restrained and purified by the Goddess’s dharmic power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader frame is Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), celebrated as a divinely protected sacred realm in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it is a narrative of the Goddess’s martial protection.