Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 55

Devanagari script

द्विजाः क्व संति भूयांसो ब्रह्मतेजोतिबृंहिताः । श्रुत्यध्ययन संपन्नास्तपोबल समन्विताः

Transliteration

dvijāḥ kva saṃti bhūyāṃso brahmatejotibṛṃhitāḥ | śrutyadhyayana saṃpannāstapobala samanvitāḥ

Translation

Wo sind die vielen Zweimalgeborenen—im Glanz des Brahman gewachsen, im Studium der Śruti vollendet und mit der Kraft der Askese begabt?

Word by Word

• द्विजाः: twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विजाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• क्व: where
• क्व: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Interrogative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नवाचक (interrogative adverb: where?)

• सन्ति: are
• सन्ति: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (अस्)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन

• भूयांसः: more numerous, many
• भूयांसः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of dvijāḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhūyas (प्रातिपदिक; comparative of बहु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; तुलनात्मक (comparative)

• ब्रह्मतेजोति-बृंहिताः: strengthened by Brahmic radiance
• ब्रह्मतेजोति-बृंहिताः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of dvijāḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: brahma-tejas (प्रातिपदिक; brahma + tejas) + bṛṃhita (कृदन्त; √bṛṃh (बृंह्) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषसमास (ब्रह्मतेजसा बृंहिताः = strengthened by Brahmic splendour)

• श्रुत्यध्ययन-संपन्नाः: accomplished in Vedic study
• श्रुत्यध्ययन-संपन्नाः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of dvijāḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śruti-adhyayana (प्रातिपदिक; śruti + adhyayana) + sampanna (कृदन्त; √pad (पद्) + सम् + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषसमास (endowed with study of śruti)

• तपोबल-समन्विताः: endowed with ascetic power
• तपोबल-समन्विताः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of dvijāḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tapas-bala (प्रातिपदिक; tapas + bala) + samanvita (कृदन्त; √i (इ) + सम् + अन्वि?; रूढ कृदन्त 'समन्वित')
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषसमास (endowed with power of austerity)

Speaker

Skanda (quoting the Daitya’s search; narration to Agastya inferred)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A seeker scans the ghats and forest-hermitages near Kāśī for radiant brāhmaṇas: gurus teaching śruti to students, ascetics in meditation, a palpable aura of tejas.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇas (Dvipas)
• Śruti (Veda)
• Tapas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Vedic study and tapas generate brahmatejas (spiritual authority), portrayed as a decisive protective force in the world.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the verse functions within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative, whose broader canvas is Kāśī’s sacred dharma.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; it highlights śruti-study and tapas as sources of spiritual power.