Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 59

Devanagari script

सूर्योदये तमांसीव वज्रपातभयान्नगाः । तार्क्ष्येक्षणाद्यथासर्पा मेघा वाताहता इव

Transliteration

sūryodaye tamāṃsīva vajrapātabhayānnagāḥ | tārkṣyekṣaṇādyathāsarpā meghā vātāhatā iva

Translation

Wie die Finsternis beim Sonnenaufgang schwindet; wie Berge aus Furcht vor dem Blitzschlag erbeben; wie Schlangen vor dem Blick Tārkṣyas (Garuḍas) fliehen; und wie Wolken vom Wind zerstreut werden—

Word by Word

• सूर्योदये: at sunrise
• सूर्योदये: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक) + उदय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘सूर्यस्य उदये’

• तमांसि: darknesses
• तमांसि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• इव: like, as
• इव: Upamana marker (उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमा-वाचक (comparative particle)

• वज्रपातभयात्: from fear of a thunderbolt strike
• वज्रपातभयात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Ablative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वज्र (प्रातिपदिक) + पात (प्रातिपदिक) + भय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘वज्रपातस्य भयम्’ → ‘वज्रपातभय’

• नगाः: mountains
• नगाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• तार्क्ष्येक्षणात्: from Garuḍa’s glance
• तार्क्ष्येक्षणात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Ablative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तार्क्ष्य (प्रातिपदिक) + ईक्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘तार्क्ष्यस्य ईक्षणम्’

• यथा: just as
• यथा: Comparative connector (उपमा-सूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमा/प्रकार-वाचक (as/just as)

• सर्पाः: snakes
• सर्पाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• मेघाः: clouds
• मेघाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मेघ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• वाताहताः: buffeted/struck by wind
• वाताहताः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वात (प्रातिपदिक) + आहत (कृदन्त; √हन् धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural); भूतकृदन्त ‘आहत’; तृतीया-तत्पुरुष: ‘वातेन आहताः’ = ‘struck by wind’

• इव: like
• इव: Upamana marker (उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमा-वाचक

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (Kāśī context)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Four-panel allegory: (1) sunrise dissolving darkness, (2) mountains quivering under a lightning strike, (3) serpents fleeing Garuḍa’s gaze, (4) clouds torn apart by wind—each panel subtly overlaid with the idea of sins dispersing before Gaṅgā’s sanctity.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Tārkṣya (Garuḍa)
• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The verse builds vivid analogies to prepare the conclusion: just as powerful natural forces disperse darkness, snakes, and clouds, so too spiritual impurity is driven away by Gaṅgā’s presence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgā in Kāśī, whose sanctity is being praised through a chain of illustrative comparisons.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct rite is stated in this verse; it functions as a poetic lead-in to the effect of Gaṅgā-darśana/sparśa.