Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

आसुरी दानवी नागी नैरृती चापि कैन्नरी । विद्याधरी च गांधर्वी योनिरस्माभिरर्जिता

Transliteration

āsurī dānavī nāgī nairṛtī cāpi kainnarī | vidyādharī ca gāṃdharvī yonirasmābhirarjitā

Translation

我们也曾得生为阿修罗女、达那婆女、龙女、奈利提女与紧那罗女，并且为持明女与乾闼婆女。

Word by Word

• आसुरी: asura-natured (female form/species)
• आसुरी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आसुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; जातिवाचक

• दानवी: dānava (female form/species)
• दानवी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• नागी: nāga (serpent-being, female form/species)
• नागी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• नैरृती: nairṛtī (of Nirṛti/demonic quarter)
• नैरृती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नैरृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• कैन्नरी: kinnara-kind (female form/species)
• कैन्नरी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कैन्नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• विद्याधरी: vidyādhara-kind (female form/species)
• विद्याधरी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विद्याधर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• गान्धर्वी: gandharva-kind (female form/species)
• गान्धर्वी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गान्धर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• योनिḥ: womb/species
• योनिḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• अस्माभिः: by us
• अस्माभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; तृतीया, बहुवचन

• अर्जिता: acquired/obtained
• अर्जिता: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्ज् (धातु) → अर्जित (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (योनि:) अर्जिता = was acquired

Speaker

Pilgrims/supplicants (addressing Śiva in Kāśī; contextually within Skanda’s narration to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Īśvara (the Lord)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A litany of extraordinary births: fierce asurīs and dānavīs, serpentine nāgīs, shadowy nairṛtīs, graceful kinnarīs, luminous vidyādharīs, musical gandharvīs—presented as a panorama of saṃsāra.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Asura
• Dānava
• Nāga
• Nairṛta
• Kinnara
• Vidyādhara
• Gandharva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Saṃsāra spans many classes of existence; without higher knowledge and grace, one continues to cycle through diverse births.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the implied sacred geography; the list of births sets up the contrast with liberation associated with Śiva’s presence in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed here; it is a confession-like recollection of saṃsāric wandering.