Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

असतां हृदि वक्त्रेषु निर्दिशंस्तमसः स्थितिम् । यामिनीकालकलितं जगदुज्जीवयन्पुनः

Transliteration

asatāṃ hṛdi vaktreṣu nirdiśaṃstamasaḥ sthitim | yāminīkālakalitaṃ jagadujjīvayanpunaḥ

Translation

Revealing the seat of darkness within the hearts and faces of the wicked, and dispelling the night’s gathered gloom, by his rising he revives the world again.

Word by Word

• असताम्: of the wicked (people)
• असताम्: सम्बन्ध (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; ‘असत्’ = दुष्ट/असज्जन

• हृदि: in the heart
• हृदि: अधिकरण (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हृद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• वक्त्रेषु: in the faces/mouths
• वक्त्रेषु: अधिकरण (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वक्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन

• निर्दिशन्: indicating, pointing out
• निर्दिशन्: कर्ता (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि√दिश् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कृदन्तः, शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त (Present active participle/शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• तमसः: of darkness
• तमसः: सम्बन्ध (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• स्थितिम्: state, condition
• स्थितिम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थिति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• यामिनीकालकलितम्: connected with the time of night
• यामिनीकालकलितम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यामिनी + काल + कलित (प्रातिपदिक; कलित = √कल्/कलय्-सम्भव ‘कलित’ कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी/सप्तमी-तत्पुरुषभावः: ‘यामिन्याः कालेन कलितम्’ = रात्रिकाल-सम्बद्धम्

• जगत्: the world
• जगत्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• उज्जीवयन्: reviving, enlivening
• उज्जीवयन्: कर्ता (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद्+√जीव् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कृदन्तः, शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त (Present active participle/शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Kāśīkhaṇḍa default dialogue-frame, verse-context narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (Gaṅgā-ghāṭa dawn setting)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sunrise as a moral revealer: darkness clinging to the faces/hearts of the wicked is shown as shadow, while the world revives under spreading golden light.

Characters & Entities

• Sūrya (implied)
• Tamas (darkness, personified)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Light (symbolizing dharma and clarity) exposes inner darkness and restores life and right order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader context is Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, where sacred time (dawn) is celebrated as spiritually potent.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated here; the verse poetically frames dawn as the auspicious moment that supports dharmic practice.