Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 97

Devanagari script

प्राकारे पंचमे काश्यां द्विचतुष्क विनायकाः । कुर्वंति रक्षां क्षेत्रस्य ये तानत्र ब्रवीम्यहम्

Transliteration

prākāre paṃcame kāśyāṃ dvicatuṣka vināyakāḥ | kurvaṃti rakṣāṃ kṣetrasya ye tānatra bravīmyaham

Translation

ในกาศี ณ วงกำแพงชั้นที่ห้า มีพระวินายกะแปดองค์ (สี่กับสี่) ผู้พิทักษ์เขตศักดิ์สิทธิ์; บัดนี้เราจักกล่าวถึงท่านเหล่านั้น ณ ที่นี้

Word by Word

• प्राकारे: in/at the enclosure (rampart)
• प्राकारे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• पंचमे: in the fifth
• पंचमे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्चम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; क्रमवाचक विशेषणम् (fifth)

• काश्यां: in Kāśī
• काश्यां: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• द्विचतुष्क: two sets of four (i.e., eight)
• द्विचतुष्क: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वि + चतुष्क (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन (vināyakāḥ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्); द्विगु-समासः (द्वौ चतुष्कौ = two groups of four / eightfold)

• विनायकाः: Vināyakas (Gaṇeśa-forms)
• विनायकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विनायक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• कुर्वन्ति: do; perform
• कुर्वन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन

• रक्षाम्: protection
• रक्षाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रक्षा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• क्षेत्रस्य: of the sacred area/field
• क्षेत्रस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-यत्

• तान्: them
• तान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Modifier (Avyaya/उपपद)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• ब्रवीमि: I tell; I describe
• ब्रवीमि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद; उत्तमपुरुष (1st), एकवचन

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग/सर्वलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; अस्मद्-प्रयोग

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pañcama-prākāra Vināyaka-maṇḍala (Eight Vināyakas)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A schematic-yet-sacred depiction of Kāśī as concentric circuits with eight Vināyakas positioned like sentinels on the fifth ring, protecting the kṣetra.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Kṣetra)
• Vināyakas (eight guardians)
• Prākāra (fifth enclosure)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is structured as a protected sacred mandala; its holiness is upheld by guardian Vināyakas placed in ordered geography.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī-kṣetra itself, especially the ‘fifth prākāra’ (fifth encircling circuit).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; it introduces a catalog of guardian Vināyakas for devotional remembrance and pilgrimage mapping.