Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

उवाच च प्रसन्नात्मा श्रीकंठः प्रणतार्तिहृत् । अलं तप्त्वा वरं ब्रूहि द्युमणे महसां निधे

Transliteration

uvāca ca prasannātmā śrīkaṃṭhaḥ praṇatārtihṛt | alaṃ taptvā varaṃ brūhi dyumaṇe mahasāṃ nidhe

Translation

ثم تكلّم شريكانثا، صافِيَ القلب، مُزيلَ كربِ الساجدين له: «كفى تقشّفًا؛ يا مُضيءُ، يا كنزَ البهاءات، اطلب نعمةً».

Word by Word

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्सभूत), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• प्रसन्नात्मा: with a serene mind
• प्रसन्नात्मा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रसन्न-आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक; प्रसन्न + आत्मन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (nom. sg. masc.)

• श्रीकंठः: Śrīkaṇṭha (Śiva)
• श्रीकंठः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री-कण्ठ (प्रातिपदिक; श्री + कण्ठ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• प्रणतार्तिहृत्: remover of the distress of the bowed (devotees)
• प्रणतार्तिहृत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रणत-आर्ति-हृत् (प्रातिपदिक; प्रणत + आर्ति + हृत्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (nom. sg. masc.)

• अलम्: enough; sufficient
• अलम्: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अलम् (अव्यय)
• Form: पर्याप्त्यर्थक अव्यय (enough/sufficient)

• तप्त्वा: having done penance
• तप्त्वा: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √तप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive), ‘having performed austerity’

• वरम्: a boon
• वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• ब्रूहि: tell; speak
• ब्रूहि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative/आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• द्युमणे: O radiant one
• द्युमणे: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्युमणि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• महसाम्: of splendors; of lights
• महसाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन

• निधे: O treasure
• निधे: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

Speaker

Śiva (Śrīkaṇṭha)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-Avimukta (Viśveśvara sphere)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and ṛṣis (frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śrīkaṇṭha, calm and compassionate, addresses the radiant Sun: ‘Enough of tapas—ask a boon,’ with a posture of blessing and refuge.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Śrīkaṇṭha)
• Sūrya (Dyumaṇi)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Austerity bears fruit when met by divine grace; Śiva responds to devotion and relieves the suffering of the surrendered.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) is the implied sacred landscape of this dialogue in the Kāśī Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse highlights tapas (austerity) as the discipline leading to a boon, but gives no specific external ritual.