Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

तपस्विनां तपो हंतुं द्वौ मत्साहाय्यकारिणौ । कामक्रौधौ न तावस्मिन्प्रभवेतां शिशौ ध्रुवे

Transliteration

tapasvināṃ tapo haṃtuṃ dvau matsāhāyyakāriṇau | kāmakraudhau na tāvasminprabhavetāṃ śiśau dhruve

Translation

“To destroy the austerity of ascetics, two allies serve me—Desire and Anger. But those two cannot prevail over that child, Dhruva.”

Word by Word

• तपस्विनाम्: of ascetics
• तपस्विनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस्विन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन

• तपः: austerity
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• हन्तुम्: to destroy
• हन्तुम्: Prayojana (Purpose)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive)

• द्वौ: two
• द्वौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वि (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; संख्यावाचक

• मत्-साहाय्य-कारिणौ: acting as my helpers
• मत्-साहाय्य-कारिणौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + साहाय्य (प्रातिपदिक) + कारिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (मम साहाय्यं कुर्वन्तौ)

• काम-क्रौधौ: desire and anger
• काम-क्रौधौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक) + क्रोध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; समासः—द्वन्द्वः

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपात

• तौ: those two
• तौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; सर्वनाम

• अस्मिन्: in this (one)
• अस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• प्रभवेताम्: could prevail
• प्रभवेताम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, द्विवचन

• शिशौ: in the child
• शिशौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिशु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन (वैकल्पिक-रूपेण; ‘शिशौ’ इति लोके/वैदिके)

• ध्रुवे: in Dhruva
• ध्रुवे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ध्रुव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; नाम (Dhruva)

Speaker

Indra (deduced: continuation of deva anxiety and tactics)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two shadowy forces—Desire and Anger—stand as personified figures behind a celestial schemer, yet they recoil from the radiant calm of child Dhruva, whose tapas forms a protective aura.

Characters & Entities

• Kāma (desire)
• Krodha (anger)
• Dhruva
• Ascetics

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Conquering kāma and krodha safeguards tapas; inner victory is the foundation of spiritual accomplishment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī-kṣetra is the overarching sacred context, though the verse itself is ethical-psychological rather than geographical.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it implies the discipline of restraining desire and anger as part of ascetic dharma.