Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

गते बहुतिथेकाले प्राच्यौदीच्यां भृशार्दिताः । चण्डरश्मेः करव्रातपातसन्तापतापिताः

Transliteration

gate bahutithekāle prācyaudīcyāṃ bhṛśārditāḥ | caṇḍaraśmeḥ karavrātapātasantāpatāpitāḥ

Translation

বহু দিন অতিবাহিত হলে পূর্ব ও উত্তরদেশের লোকেরা ভীষণ কষ্টে পতিত হল; তীব্র-কিরণ সূর্যের অবিরাম রশ্মিবর্ষণের দাহে তারা দগ্ধ ও তপ্ত হয়ে উঠল।

Word by Word

• गते: when (it) had passed
• गते: Adhikarana (Locative circumstance/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गम् (धातु) → गत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; लोकेटिव्-अब्सोल्यूट् (सप्तमी-सम्बन्ध) ‘when ... had passed’

• बहुतिथे: in a time of many days
• बहुतिथे: Adhikarana (Locative qualifier/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक) + तिथि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (बहूनां तिथीनाम्), नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; ‘in/at (a time) of many days’

• काले: at the time
• काले: Adhikarana (Time locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• प्राच्यौदीच्याम्: in the eastern and northern regions
• प्राच्यौदीच्याम्: Adhikarana (Place locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राच्य (प्रातिपदिक) + औदीच्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (प्राच्यौ च औदीच्यौ च), स्त्रीलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; देशवाचक-समाहार/द्वन्द्व-समासः ‘in the eastern and northern (regions)’

• भृशार्दिताः: greatly afflicted
• भृशार्दिताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अर्द् (धातु) → अर्दित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) + भृशम् (अव्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; ‘greatly afflicted’ (भृशम् = अत्यर्थम्, अव्यय-उपपद)

• चण्डरश्मेः: of the fierce-rayed (sun)
• चण्डरश्मेः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चण्ड (प्रातिपदिक) + रश्मि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयः (चण्डः रश्मिः यस्य), पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; ‘of the fierce-rayed (sun)’

• करव्रातपातसन्तापतापिताः: scorched by the burning heat from the fall/beat of clusters of rays
• करव्रातपातसन्तापतापिताः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कर (प्रातिपदिक) + व्रात (प्रातिपदिक) + पात (प्रातिपदिक) + सन्ताप (प्रातिपदिक) + तप् (धातु) → तापित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुपद-तत्पुरुषसमासः; ‘कर-व्रात-पात-सन्तापेन तापिताः’ (तृतीया-तत्पुरुषार्थः), भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

Speaker

Narrator (Vyāsa continues by context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (implied narrative setting)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages at Naimiṣāraṇya (typical frame; not explicit here)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A parched landscape in the eastern and northern quarters: people shielding faces, cracked earth, shimmering heat-waves; the Sun depicted with fierce rays pouring down like spears.

Characters & Entities

• Sūrya
• Peoples of the East
• Peoples of the North

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When cosmic order is disturbed, all beings suffer—dharma is not abstract; it sustains the world’s welfare.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the verse describes regional suffering within the Kāśī-khaṇḍa storyline.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse.