Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 74

Devanagari script

हृतमानेन तप्तव्यं निशम्येति वचो ध्रुवः । दीर्घमुष्णं हि निःश्वस्य पुनर्दध्यौ हरिं हृदि

Transliteration

hṛtamānena taptavyaṃ niśamyeti vaco dhruvaḥ | dīrghamuṣṇaṃ hi niḥśvasya punardadhyau hariṃ hṛdi

Translation

Hearing the words, “When honor is taken away, one should perform austerity,” Dhruva sighed long and hotly, and once again meditated on Hari within his heart.

Word by Word

• हृतमानेन: with honor lost / by loss of honor
• हृतमानेन: Karaṇa/Hetu (Cause)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हृत + मान (प्रातिपदिक) / √हृ (धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (हृत) + कर्मधारयः

• तप्तव्यम्: should be practiced (as penance)
• तप्तव्यम्: Kriyā (Obligation predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √तप् (धातु)
• Form: तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (obligative), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• निशम्य: having heard
• निशम्य: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-√शम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), ‘having heard/considered’

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/वाक्यसमाप्त्यर्थक अव्यय (quotative)

• वचः: speech, words
• वचः: Karma (Object of ‘having heard’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• ध्रुवः: Dhruva
• ध्रुवः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ध्रुव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• दीर्घम्: long
• दीर्घम्: Karma (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दीर्घ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (निःश्वासं इति अध्याहार्यं विशेषणम्)

• उष्णम्: hot, heated
• उष्णम्: Karma (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (निःश्वासं इति अध्याहार्यं विशेषणम्)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतौ/निश्चये अव्यय (for/indeed)

• निःश्वस्य: having sighed
• निःश्वस्य: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: निः-√श्वस् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), ‘having sighed/breathed out’

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Sambandha (Adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: पुनरावृत्त्यर्थक अव्यय (again)

• दध्यौ: meditated upon
• दध्यौ: Kriyā (Main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ध्यै (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• हरिम्: Hari (Vishnu)
• हरिम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

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

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; within Kāśī-khaṇḍa, typically Skanda narrating to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Audience in the kathā frame (implicit)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Dhruva hears the decisive counsel, exhales a long, heated sigh, then turns inward—Hari visualized in the heart-lotus; outer world dims as inner radiance grows.

Characters & Entities

• Dhruva
• Hari (Viṣṇu)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True spiritual response to pain is inner recollection of the Lord—turning the mind back to Hari.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is named; the focus is on inner devotion within the Kāśī-khaṇḍa narrative frame.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Meditative remembrance (dhyāna) of Hari is implied; no external ritual is specified.