Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 46

Devanagari script

खखोल्कश्चारुणादित्यो वृद्धकेशवसंज्ञकौ । दशमो विमलादित्यो गंगादित्यस्तथैव च

Transliteration

khakholkaścāruṇādityo vṛddhakeśavasaṃjñakau | daśamo vimalādityo gaṃgādityastathaiva ca

Translation

وكذلك خاخولكا وآروناديتيا، ومن يُدعى فِرِدّهاكيشافا؛ والعاشر فيمالاديتيا، وكذلك غَنْغاديتيا.

Word by Word

• khakholkaḥ: Khakholka (name)
• khakholkaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: khakholka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Masc., Nom., Sg.)

• ca: and
• ca: Avyaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (indeclinable conjunction)

• aruṇādityaḥ: Aruṇāditya
• aruṇādityaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aruṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + āditya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयसमास (अरुणः आदित्यः); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Masc., Nom., Sg.)

• vṛddhakeśava-saṃjñakau: (the two) named Vṛddhakeśava
• vṛddhakeśava-saṃjñakau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vṛddha (प्रातिपदिक) + keśava (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃjñaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (वृद्धकेशव इति संज्ञा यस्य); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन (Masc., Nom., Dual)

• daśamaḥ: the tenth
• daśamaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daśama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Masc., Nom., Sg.); क्रमवाचक (ordinal)

• vimalādityaḥ: Vimalāditya
• vimalādityaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vimala (प्रातिपदिक) + āditya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयसमास (विमलः आदित्यः); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Masc., Nom., Sg.)

• gaṃgādityaḥ: Gaṅgāditya
• gaṃgādityaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṃgā (प्रातिपदिक) + āditya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (गङ्गा-सम्बन्धी आदित्यः); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Masc., Nom., Sg.)

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Avyaya (Modifier/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (indeclinable; likewise)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Avyaya (Modifier/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (indeclinable; emphasis)

• ca: and
• ca: Avyaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (indeclinable conjunction)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśī-khaṇḍa context, Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Khakholka-Āditya; Āruṇāditya; Vṛddhakeśava; Vimalāditya; Gaṅgāditya (Kāśī)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ghaṭodbhava (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Five more sun-shrines: Āruṇāditya bathed in dawn-red; Gaṅgāditya placed near the river with shimmering reflections; Vimalāditya in a pristine white-lit sanctum; Vṛddhakeśava with an aged-sage aura; Khakholka with a distinctive local emblem (stylized sky-orb).

Characters & Entities

• Khakholka
• Āruṇāditya
• Vṛddhakeśava
• Vimalāditya
• Gaṅgāditya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine presence in Kāśī is articulated through many named manifestations, encouraging reverence for the kṣetra’s sacred map.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī’s Āditya-sthānas, including a form associated with the Gaṅgā (Gaṅgāditya).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None stated; the verse continues the enumeration of solar forms in Kāśī.