Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

अतिचारगतो मंदः पुनर्वक्राध्व संस्थितः । पापग्रहसमायुक्तो न युक्तोयमिहेष्यते

Transliteration

aticāragato maṃdaḥ punarvakrādhva saṃsthitaḥ | pāpagrahasamāyukto na yuktoyamiheṣyate

Translation

ดาวเสาร์ครั้นเข้าสู่วิถีผิดปกติ แล้วกลับตั้งอยู่ในคติถอยหลัง อีกทั้งร่วมกับดาวบาปเคราะห์—โยคนี้ไม่สมควร ณ ที่นี้ และบ่งลางอัปมงคล

Word by Word

• अतिचारगतः: having gone into irregular motion (excess transit)
• अतिचारगतः: Karta (Appositional qualifier/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अतिचार (प्रातिपदिक) + गत (गम् धातु; क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (अतिचारे गतः)

• मन्दः: Saturn (the slow one)
• मन्दः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ग्रहविशेषः (Saturn)

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• वक्राध्व: a crooked path (retrograde course)
• वक्राध्व: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वक्र (प्रातिपदिक) + अध्वन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (पथम्/अध्वानम् as object implied); कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष (वक्रः अध्वा)

• संस्थितः: is positioned/has settled
• संस्थितः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; स्थितार्थे (is stationed/has become)

• पापग्रहसमायुक्तः: associated with malefic planets
• पापग्रहसमायुक्तः: Karta (Qualifier/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + ग्रह (प्रातिपदिक) + सम्-आ-युक्त (युज् धातु; क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (पापग्रहैः समायुक्तः)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• युक्तः: fit/proper
• युक्तः: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: युज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; योग्य/उचितार्थे

• अयम्: this (one)
• अयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• इह: here
• इह: Adhikarana (Locative sense)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• ईष्यते: is desired/approved
• ईष्यते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ईष् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An astrologer in Kāśī charts the heavens: Saturn shown retrograde with a looping path, clustered with dark ‘malefic’ planets; citizens gather under a temple lamp, faces lit with concern.

Characters & Entities

• Śani (manda)
• vakragati (retrograde)
• pāpagraha (malefics)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma reads cosmic disturbance as a call for ethical correction and spiritual vigilance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the contextual sacred landscape; the omen is narrated within Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s city-centric mahatmya frame.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct rite; it describes an inauspicious planetary condition.