Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 79

Devanagari script

अस्या आनयने कोयं महायत्नविधिः प्रभो । कोऽस्मान्प्रलयकालाग्निमहाज्वालावलीसमान्

Transliteration

asyā ānayane koyaṃ mahāyatnavidhiḥ prabho | ko'smānpralayakālāgnimahājvālāvalīsamān

Translation

O Herr, wozu bedarf es solcher großen Anstrengung und kunstvoller Maßnahmen, um sie herbeizubringen? Wer könnte uns widerstehen, uns, die wir den mächtigen Flammenreihen des Feuers zur Zeit der Auflösung gleichen?

Word by Word

• अस्याः: of her
• अस्याः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), षष्ठी (6th/genitive), एकवचन (singular); सर्वनाम

• आनयने: in/for the bringing (of her)
• आनयने: Adhikarana (Location/Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आ-नी (धातु) + अन (प्रत्यय) → आनयन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), सप्तमी (7th/locative), एकवचन (singular); भाववाचक कृदन्त-नाम (action noun: bringing)

• कः: who? / what?
• कः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (1st/nominative), एकवचन (singular)

• अयम्: this (one/thing)
• अयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (1st/nominative), एकवचन (singular); सर्वनाम

• महायत्नविधिः: a method requiring great effort
• महायत्नविधिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + यत्न + विधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (1st/nominative), एकवचन (singular); समासः महा-यत्नस्य विधिः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• प्रभो: O lord
• प्रभो: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), सम्बोधन (8th/vocative), एकवचन (singular)

• कः: who?
• कः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (1st/nominative), एकवचन (singular)

• अस्मान्: us
• अस्मान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/त्रिलिङ्ग (common), द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), बहुवचन (plural); सर्वनाम

• प्रलयकालाग्निमहाज्वालावलीसमान्: equal to the great mass of flames of the fire at the time of dissolution
• प्रलयकालाग्निमहाज्वालावलीसमान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रलय + काल + अग्नि + महा + ज्वाला + आवली + समान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), बहुवचन (plural); विशेषणम्; समासः प्रलयकालस्य अग्निः (तत्पुरुष) + महाज्वालावली (कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष) + समान (उपमान-तत्पुरुष)

Speaker

Daityas (continuing their reply; deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The speaker likens his forces to the blazing fires of dissolution, dismissing any resistance; the court scene is charged with fiery metaphors and looming catastrophe.

Characters & Entities

• Daityas
• Pralaya-agni (cosmic dissolution fire)
• Vindhyavāsinī (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Boasting of power is portrayed as spiritual blindness; cosmic metaphors underscore how ego inflates itself against the divine.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not explicit; the verse uses a cosmic simile rather than sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.