Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

देवालयस्य कलशो यत्त्वया वीक्षितः पतन् । दिनैः कतिपयैरेव राज्यभंगो भविष्यति

Transliteration

devālayasya kalaśo yattvayā vīkṣitaḥ patan | dinaiḥ katipayaireva rājyabhaṃgo bhaviṣyati

Translation

เพราะท่านได้เห็นกะละศะ (ยอดฉัตรศักดิ์สิทธิ์) แห่งเทวาลัยตกลงมา ภายในเวลาเพียงไม่กี่วัน อาณาจักรจักพังทลายเป็นแน่

Word by Word

• देवालयस्य: of the temple
• देवालयस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवालय (प्रातिपदिक) = देव + आलय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• कलशः: the finial/pot (on top)
• कलशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-यत् (relative pronoun)

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karana (Instrument/Agent in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: त्रिलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• वीक्षितः: seen/observed
• वीक्षितः: Karma (Object described/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ईक्ष् (धातु) + वि- (उपसर्ग); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘दृष्टः’

• पतन्: falling
• पतन्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial participle/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √पत् (धातु); शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त (वर्तमान कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ (Present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणभावे

• दिनैः: in (a few) days
• दिनैः: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन (Plural); कालपरिमाणे

• कतिपयैः: a few
• कतिपयैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कतिपय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘दिनैः’ इति विशेषण

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अवधारणार्थक (emphatic)

• राज्यभङ्गः: the ruin of the kingdom
• राज्यभङ्गः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राज्यभङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) = राज्य (प्रातिपदिक) + भङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• भविष्यति: will happen
• भविष्यति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A Kāśī temple spire with a golden kalaśa visibly loosening and falling, onlookers in shock; the city skyline and Gaṅgā in the background, suggesting impending political upheaval.

Characters & Entities

• devālaya (temple)
• kalaśa (temple finial)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Public dharma is mirrored in sacred spaces: when holy symbols are seen to fall, rulers should respond with humility, protection of dharma, and remedial rites.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa context, where civic and spiritual order are tightly linked.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated; the verse functions as an omen (utpāta) indicating the need for dhārmic correction and appeasement rituals.