Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

विरहानलशांतये तदा समलेपि त्रिपुरारिणापि यः । मलयोद्भव पंक एष स प्रतिपेदेह्यधुना पिपांसुताम्

Transliteration

virahānalaśāṃtaye tadā samalepi tripurāriṇāpi yaḥ | malayodbhava paṃka eṣa sa pratipedehyadhunā pipāṃsutām

Translation

Um das Feuer der Trennung zu besänftigen, ist jene aus Malaya stammende Sandelpaste—die einst sogar der Feind Tripuras (Śiva) auftrug—nun wahrlich vertrocknet, als verlangte sie erneut nach Feuchtigkeit.

Word by Word

• विरह-अनल-शान्तये: for the pacification of the fire of separation
• विरह-अनल-शान्तये: Sampradana (Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विरह (प्रातिपदिक) + अनल (प्रातिपदिक) + शान्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (विरहानलस्य शान्तिः)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb of time)

• सम्-अलेपि: (he) anointed/smeared
• सम्-अलेपि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + लिप् (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (aorist/अनद्यतनभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• त्रिपुर-अरिणा: by the enemy of Tripura (Śiva)
• त्रिपुर-अरिणा: Karana (Agent-instrumental/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिपुर (प्रातिपदिक) + अरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (त्रिपुरस्य अरिः)

• अपि: also/even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक निपात (also/even)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Relative subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• मलय-उद्भवः: (the) Malaya-born (sandalwood)
• मलय-उद्भवः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मलय (प्रातिपदिक) + उद्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (मलयात् उद्भवः)

• पङ्कः: paste (sandal paste)
• पङ्कः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पङ्क (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• एषः: this
• एषः: Karta (Demonstrative/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• सः: that/he
• सः: Karta (Correlative/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• प्रतिपेदे: attained/underwent
• प्रतिपेदे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति + पद् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (indeed/for)

• अधुना: now
• अधुना: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अधुना (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (now)

• पिपांसुताम्: a state of thirst/desire to drink
• पिपांसुताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिपांसु (√पा धातु, सन्-इच्छार्थक कृदन्त) + ता (भावप्रत्यय)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; पिपांसु = पा-धातोः सन्-इच्छार्थक (desiderative sense) विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक; -ता = भाव (state)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (implied as the true coolant)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A close-up symbolic scene: a bowl of sandal paste from Malaya, cracked and drying on a golden plate; Śiva, the Tripurāri, sits nearby with a feverish aura, the paste unable to cool him; the air itself seems thirsty for moisture.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Śiva (Tripurāri)
• Malaya (sandalwood region)
• sandal paste

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

External comforts cannot fully cool the inner heat of separation from the supreme holy abode; Kāśī is implied as the true solace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the implied focus through the motif of ‘separation from Kāśī’; the verse uses metaphor rather than naming a shrine.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; sandal paste appears as symbolic cooling, not a stated rite.