Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

कश्चिद्धि पन्नगी भूय फटाटोपभयानकः । अतिलोलद्विरसनः पुस्फूर्जनिकषाचितम्

Transliteration

kaściddhi pannagī bhūya phaṭāṭopabhayānakaḥ | atiloladvirasanaḥ pusphūrjanikaṣācitam

Translation

ثم ظهرت ثانيةً امرأةٌ على هيئة أفعى، مرعبةً بزهوّ فحيح قلنسوتها؛ ولسانان شديدا الاضطراب يتلوّيان، وهي تتلوّى وترتجف تهديداً.

Word by Word

• कश्चित्: someone, a certain (one)
• कश्चित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + चित् (निपात/अव्यय)
• Form: सर्वनाम-शब्दः; पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; अनिर्दिष्टः (indefinite pronoun)

• हि: indeed, for
• हि: Sambandha/Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपातः (particle/emphasis)

• पन्नगी: a female serpent
• पन्नगी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पन्नगी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• भूय: again, further, moreover
• भूय: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भूयस्/भूय (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• फटाटोपभयानकः: terrifying due to the hood’s display
• फटाटोपभयानकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: फटा (प्रातिपदिक) + आटोप (प्रातिपदिक) + भयानक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifier)

• अतिलोलद्विरसनः: very restless, two-tongued
• अतिलोलद्विरसनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अति (अव्यय) + लोल (प्रातिपदिक) + द्वि (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + रसन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• पुस्फूर्जनिकषाचितम्: filled/covered with (harsh) hissing/rasping sounds
• पुस्फूर्जनिकषाचितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुस्फूर्जन् (धातु √स्फुर्ज्/स्फूर्ज्, कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) + कष (प्रातिपदिक) + आचित (धातु √चि, क्त-प्रत्यय, कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम्; ‘आचित’ = क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta-Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and other ṛṣis (typical Purāṇic frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serpent-woman (nāginī/śākinī-like) rises with an expanded hood, hissing; two restless tongues flicker as she coils and quivers menacingly toward a youthful figure who remains steady.

Characters & Entities

• Bhūtas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Fear is amplified through illusion and spectacle; dharma calls for composure and one-pointedness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The episode is situated in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī context; no specific tīrtha is cited in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.