Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

ऊर्ध्वमाचक्रमे तस्य रेतः सोमत्वमीयिवत् । नेत्राभ्यां तच्च सुस्राव दशधा द्योतयद्दिशः

Transliteration

ūrdhvamācakrame tasya retaḥ somatvamīyivat | netrābhyāṃ tacca susrāva daśadhā dyotayaddiśaḥ

Translation

His seed rose upward and attained the state of Soma. And it flowed forth from his eyes, shining in tenfold streams and illuminating the directions.

Word by Word

• ūrdhvam: upwards
• ūrdhvam: Gati/Direction (दिशा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ūrdhva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb)

• ācakrame: went/advanced
• ācakrame: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā + kram (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• retaḥ: semen
• retaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: retas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• somatvam: the state of being Soma
• somatvam: Gati (Result/state/गति)
• Type: Noun
• Root: soma + tva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• īyivat: having gone/attained
• īyivat: Kriya (Predicate participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: i (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-कृदन्त (perfect participle/भूतपूर्व-भाव), ‘ईयिवस्’ (parasmaipada perfect active participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• netrābhyām: from (his) two eyes
• netrābhyām: Apādāna (Source/outflow/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: netra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), द्विवचन (Dual)

• tat: that (semen)
• tat: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• ca: and
• ca: Connector (Samuccaya/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• susrāva: flowed out
• susrāva: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sru (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• daśadhā: tenfold
• daśadhā: Prakāra (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: daśadhā (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकार-अव्यय (adverb of manner: ‘in ten ways/tenfold’)

• dyotayat: illuminating
• dyotayat: Kriya (Concomitant action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dyut (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्यय (present active participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); क्रियाविशेषण-भाव (concomitant action)

• diśaḥ: the directions
• diśaḥ: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: diś (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural)

Speaker

Viṣṇugaṇas

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śivaśarmā

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Atri’s ascetic tejas culminates: a luminous essence rises, becomes Soma; from his eyes stream ten radiant currents lighting all directions.

Characters & Entities

• Atri
• Soma
• directions (diśaḥ)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tapas is depicted as transmuting inner essence into luminous, world-benefiting divinity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not site-specific; it is Somaloka origin lore within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa storyline.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse narrates a mythic cosmological event (Soma’s manifestation).