Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

दूराद्रविं स विज्ञाय धृततामरसद्वयम् । नवभिर्योजनानां च सहस्रैः संमितेन ह

Transliteration

dūrādraviṃ sa vijñāya dhṛtatāmarasadvayam | navabhiryojanānāṃ ca sahasraiḥ saṃmitena ha

Translation

Als er die Sonne aus der Ferne erkannte, hielt er ein Paar Lotosblumen; und die Sonnenscheibe, so heißt es, maß neun Tausend Yojanas.

Word by Word

• दूरात्: from afar
• दूरात्: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण-भाव)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दूर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण/Adverb): ‘दूरात्’ = दूरतः (from afar)

• रविम्: the Sun
• रविम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रवि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

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

• विज्ञाय: having recognized
• विज्ञाय: Kriya-viseshana (Gerundial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), अव्यय; ‘having known/recognized’

• धृत: held
• धृत: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘held’ (qualifies द्वयम्)

• तामरस: lotus
• तामरस: Samasa-angam (Compound member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तामरस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘lotus’ (as member in compound)

• द्वयम्: a pair
• द्वयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘a pair/two’

• नवभिः: by nine
• नवभिः: Visheshana (Measure qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नवन् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: त्रिलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन; संख्या-विशेषण (qualifies योजनेन/योजनानाम् implied measure)

• योजनानाम्: of yojanas
• योजनानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन; परिमाण-सम्बन्ध (of yojanas)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/Conjunction)

• सहस्रैः: by thousands
• सहस्रैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन; परिमाण-करण (by thousands)

• संमितेन: measured
• संमितेन: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-मा (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन; ‘measured/limited’ (qualifies distance/measure implied)

• ह: indeed
• ह: None (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/particle; emphasis)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration to Agastya)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee recognizes the distant solar orb, holding two lotuses as an offering; the sun appears as a vast, measured disc in the sky, emphasizing cosmic scale.

Characters & Entities

• Ravi (Sūrya)
• Lotus (tāmarasa)
• Yojana (measure)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Approaching the divine with recognition (jñāna) and symbolic offerings (like lotuses) is shown as fitting reverence to cosmic deities.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The passage is set in a celestial approach to Sūrya; no particular Kāśī tīrtha is specified in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied is an offering to Sūrya (lotus held for reverence), though no formal vidhi is detailed.