Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

औषधेष्वेव यत्रास्ति कुष्ठयोगो न मानवे । वेधोप्यंतःसुरत्नेषु शूलं मूर्तिकरेषु वै

Transliteration

auṣadheṣveva yatrāsti kuṣṭhayogo na mānave | vedhopyaṃtaḥsuratneṣu śūlaṃ mūrtikareṣu vai

Translation

جہاں کوڑھ کا ذکر صرف دواؤں کے ناموں میں ہے، انسانوں میں نہیں؛ جہاں چھیدنا اور سوراخ کرنا صرف قیمتی پتھروں کا ہوتا ہے، دلوں کا نہیں۔

Word by Word

• auṣadheṣu: In medicines
• auṣadheṣu: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: auṣadha (औषध)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (सप्तमी), Plural

• eva: Only
• eva: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (एव)
• Form: Particle

• yatra: Where
• yatra: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (यत्र)
• Form: Adverb

• asti: Is/Exists
• asti: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (अस्)
• Form: Lat Lakara (Present), Prathama Purusha, Singular

• kuṣṭhayogaḥ: Connection with Costus root (Pun: Leprosy)
• kuṣṭhayogaḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kuṣṭhayoga (कुष्ठयोग)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (प्रथमा), Singular

• na: Not
• na: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (न)
• Form: Particle

• mānave: In man
• mānave: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mānava (मानव)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (सप्तमी), Singular

• vedhaḥ: Perforation/Drilling
• vedhaḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vedha (वेध)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (प्रथमा), Singular

• api: Also/Even
• api: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अपि)
• Form: Particle

• antaḥsuratneṣu: Inside excellent gems
• antaḥsuratneṣu: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: antaḥsuratna (अन्तःसुरत्न)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (सप्तमी), Plural

• śūlam: Chisel/Spear (Pun: Colic pain)
• śūlam: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śūla (शूल)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (प्रथमा), Singular

• mūrtikareṣu: In sculptors
• mūrtikareṣu: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūrtikara (मूर्तिकर)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (सप्तमी), Plural

• vai: Indeed
• vai: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (वै)
• Form: Particle (Emphasis)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Symbolic inversion: a physician’s mortar-and-pestle emitting dark fumes (medicine ‘leprous’), a gem being pierced, and a sculptor clutching his side in pain while carving; contrasted with Kāśī artisans offering finished mūrti at a temple with purifying light.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When the natural order is inverted—remedies become diseased and sacred crafts become painful—auspiciousness declines; dharma restores harmony.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is implied as the harmonizing sacred realm, contrasted with places where order and well-being are reversed.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; the verse functions as a sign-list supporting the Mahātmya of living/sojourning in dharmic sacred space.