Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

स्वप्रजास्वेक उदितो धूमकेतुरिवापरः । दुर्दमो नाम भूपालः क्षयाया कांड एव हि

Transliteration

svaprajāsveka udito dhūmaketurivāparaḥ | durdamo nāma bhūpālaḥ kṣayāyā kāṃḍa eva hi

Translation

Ngay giữa thần dân của mình, một vị vua tên Durdama nổi lên, như một sao chổi thứ hai—quả thật là điềm báo của diệt vong.

Word by Word

• sva-prajāsu: among his own subjects
• sva-prajāsu: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + prajā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (‘स्वस्य प्रजाः’), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (प्रजा), सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), बहुवचन; locative ‘among his subjects’

• ekaḥ: one
• ekaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता) / Qualifier
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; adjective ‘one/single’

• uditaḥ: arisen; appeared
• uditaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता) / Predicative adjective
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ud-√i (धातु) + udita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘arisen/appeared’

• dhūmaketuḥ: a comet
• dhūmaketuḥ: Upamāna (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhūma (प्रातिपदिक) + ketu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘comet’

• iva: like
• iva: Avyaya (Comparison/उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमा-अव्यय (particle of comparison)

• aparaḥ: another
• aparaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता) / Predicative adjective
• Type: Adjective
• Root: apara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘another/second’

• durdamaḥ: Durdama (name)
• durdamaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dur-dama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (‘दुर्दमः’ = ‘hard to subdue’ as name), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• nāma: named
• nāma: Avyaya (Apposition marker/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāma (अव्यय/निपात)
• Form: नाम-निपात (indeclinable used to mark naming)

• bhūpālaḥ: king; ruler
• bhūpālaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhū (प्रातिपदिक) + pāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (‘भूमेः पालः’), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘king’

• kṣayāya: for ruin/destruction
• kṣayāya: Sampradana (Dative purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/सम्प्रदान), एकवचन; dative ‘for destruction’

• kāṇḍaḥ: a cause/agent; a chapter/part
• kāṇḍaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता) / Predicate noun
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘a section/part; (here) a cause/episode’

• eva: indeed
• eva: Avyaya (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• hi: for; indeed
• hi: Avyaya (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतु/निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (particle: for/indeed)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dramatic sky over a city: a blazing comet streaks above; below, King Durdama rises among subjects—armored, harsh-eyed—while people recoil; the comet’s tail visually aligns with the king, symbolizing ruin.

Characters & Entities

• Durdama

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Adharmic leadership is portrayed as a cosmic ill-omen, signaling collective suffering and the need for dharmic correction.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The storyline is situated within Kāśī-Khaṇḍa, preparing the entry into Kāśī’s sacred forest realm.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; this is narrative setup describing the king’s character as a harbinger of decline.