Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 87

Devanagari script

वारितो गणराजः स मा कार्षीः साहसं त्विति । ततस्तमपहायाशु वीरभद्रो गणोत्तमः

Transliteration

vārito gaṇarājaḥ sa mā kārṣīḥ sāhasaṃ tviti | tatastamapahāyāśu vīrabhadro gaṇottamaḥ

Translation

วาจาจากฟากฟ้าห้ามราชาแห่งคณะคณาไว้ว่า “อย่ากระทำการหุนหัน” แล้ววีรภัทร ผู้ประเสริฐในหมู่คณะคณา ก็ละเขาเสียโดยพลันและก้าวต่อไป

Word by Word

• वारितः: restrained, stopped
• वारितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वारय् (धातु, णिच्) → वारित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मणि क्त-प्रत्यय (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• गण-राजः: the king of the Gaṇas
• गण-राजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गण (प्रातिपदिक) + राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गणानां राजा), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

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

• कार्षीः: you should do
• कार्षीः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ/imperative) निषेधार्थे ‘मा’ सह; मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• साहसम्: rash act, violence
• साहसम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: साहस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• त्व्: you
• त्व्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: मध्यमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (सम्बोधनार्थे/उक्त्यनुसारे)

• इति: thus
• इति: Vakyartha (Quotation marker/उक्ति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/वाक्यसमाप्ति-बोधक अव्यय (quotative)

• ततः: then
• ततः: Desha-Kala (Temporal/स्थान-काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपादान/कालार्थे (then/from there)

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

• अपहाय: having left/abandoned
• अपहाय: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अप + हा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययभाव (gerund); ‘अपहाय’ = त्यक्त्वा

• आशु: quickly
• आशु: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आशु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• वीरभद्रः: Vīrabhadra
• वीरभद्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वीरभद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• गण-उत्तमः: the best of the Gaṇas
• गण-उत्तमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गण (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गणानाम् उत्तमः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

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

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Frame-audience of sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A disembodied sky-voice stops the Gaṇa-king mid-attack; the Gaṇa-king lowers his aggression, while Vīrabhadra swiftly departs to confront Dakṣa.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṇarāja
• Vīrabhadra
• Ākāśavāṇī (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma includes restraint; even rightful strength must heed higher command and avoid sāhasa (reckless excess).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī, where divine order is shown to govern even the mightiest beings.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse emphasizes ethical restraint rather than ritual.