Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

तापयन्दुःखसंघातं साधूनाप्याययन्रविः । उत्तरार्को महातेजाः काशीं रक्षति सर्वदा

Transliteration

tāpayanduḥkhasaṃghātaṃ sādhūnāpyāyayanraviḥ | uttarārko mahātejāḥ kāśīṃ rakṣati sarvadā

Translation

Scorching masses of sorrow and nourishing the righteous, the Sun—mighty in splendor as Uttarārka—ever protects Kāśī.

Word by Word

• तापयन्: heating, causing to burn
• तापयन्: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial participle/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप् (धातु) → तापय (णिच्) + शतृ (वर्तमान कृदन्त)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमान कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Present active participle: ‘heating’

• दुःख-संघातम्: mass/aggregate of sorrows
• दुःख-संघातम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुःख (प्रातिपदिक) + संघात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• साधून्: the good people, the virtuous
• साधून्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: साधु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), बहुवचन — Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• आप्याययन्: nourishing, gladdening
• आप्याययन्: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial participle/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + प्यै (धातु) → आप्यायय (णिच्) + शतृ (वर्तमान कृदन्त)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमान कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Present active participle: ‘nourishing/refreshing’

• रविः: the Sun
• रविः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रवि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उत्तर-अर्कः: Uttarārka (a form/name of the Sun)
• उत्तर-अर्कः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्क (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular; रविः इति समानााधिकरण

• महा-तेजाः: of great splendor
• महा-तेजाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक) + तेजस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular; विशेषण

• काशीम्: Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• काशीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन — Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• रक्षति: protects
• रक्षति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: रक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद — Present, 3rd person, Singular

• सर्वदा: always
• सर्वदा: Kala-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Uttarārka (Arka-kuṇḍa)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: ‘Suvrata’ interlocutor

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūrya as a blazing guardian above Kāśī, rays like a garland; dark forms of ‘duḥkha’ are scorched away while ascetics and devotees are bathed in warm light.

Characters & Entities

• Uttarārka
• Sūrya (Ravi)
• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine power in Kāśī is portrayed as both purifying (burning sorrow) and sustaining (nourishing the righteous).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Uttarārka (associated with Arka-kuṇḍa) as a protective solar presence over Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it states the deity’s ongoing protective and beneficent function.