Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

तमोंधकूपपतितमुद्यन्नेष दिनेदिने । प्रसार्य परितः पाणीन्प्राणिजातं समुद्धरेत्

Transliteration

tamoṃdhakūpapatitamudyanneṣa dinedine | prasārya paritaḥ pāṇīnprāṇijātaṃ samuddharet

Translation

Tag für Tag aufgehend, hebt er die Schar der Lebewesen empor, die in den blinden Brunnen der Finsternis gefallen sind, als streckte er ringsum seine Hände aus.

Word by Word

• तमः-अन्ध-कूप-पतितम्: (those) fallen into the dark blind well
• तमः-अन्ध-कूप-पतितम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तमस् (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्ध (प्रातिपदिक) + कूप (प्रातिपदिक) + पतित (कृदन्त; √पत्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (determinative: 'fallen into the blind well of darkness')

• उद्यन्: rising
• उद्यन्: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उद्यत् (कृदन्त; √उद्+या/इ 'to rise')
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; वर्तमान-कृदन्त (present participle)

• एषः: this (Sun)
• एषः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• दिने-दिने: day after day
• दिने-दिने: Kala-adhikarana (कालाधिकरण/Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दिन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी-द्विवचन-प्रयोगवत् पुनरुक्ति (idiomatic repetition), कालवाचक (time: 'day by day')

• प्रसार्य: having stretched out
• प्रसार्य: Purva-kala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्र√सृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund)

• परितः: all around
• परितः: Desha-adhikarana (देशाधिकरण/Place)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: परितः (अव्यय)
• Form: उपसर्गसदृश/अव्यय (adverb: 'all around')

• पाणीन्: hands
• पाणीन्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाणि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• प्राणि-जातम्: all living beings
• प्राणि-जातम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राणि (प्रातिपदिक) + जात (कृदन्त; √जन्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष ('collection of living beings')

• समुद्धरेत्: should lift up/rescue
• समुद्धरेत्: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+उद्√हृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśī Khaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (metaphor of uplift from tamas)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and ṛṣis (traditional)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūrya rises with anthropomorphic compassion—arms extended—pulling beings from a dark, circular well; the world transitions from deep indigo night to saffron dawn.

Characters & Entities

• Sūrya
• Prāṇijāta (living beings)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Light is portrayed as rescue: divine order continually raises beings from ignorance and inertia toward awareness and life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific Kāśī location is named; the imagery is universal and devotional.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse implicitly honors daily sunrise devotion and the dhārmic ideal of moving from tamas to light.