Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

नंदी दृष्ट्वाथ तं तत्र धारणादृढमानसम् । तपोग्नि परिशुष्कांगं कमलेन समस्पृशत्

Transliteration

naṃdī dṛṣṭvātha taṃ tatra dhāraṇādṛḍhamānasam | tapogni pariśuṣkāṃgaṃ kamalena samaspṛśat

Translation

Seeing him there—his mind made firm by deep concentration—Nandī touched with the lotus that lordly yogin whose body had been dried by the fire of austerity.

Word by Word

• नंदी: Nandin
• नंदी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नन्दी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Gerund/Absolutive), अव्ययभाव

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निपात (particle)

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• धारणादृढमानसम्: whose mind was firm through concentration
• धारणादृढमानसम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धारणा (प्रातिपदिक) + दृढ (प्रातिपदिक) + मानस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (tam = him)

• तपोग्नि: by the fire of austerity
• तपोग्नि: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक) + अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular) (intended: tapogni-nā)

• परिशुष्काङ्गम्: with limbs completely dried up
• परिशुष्काङ्गम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परि-शुष्क (प्रातिपदिक) + अङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (tam)

• कमलेन: with the lotus
• कमलेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कमल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental), एकवचन

• समस्पृशत्: touched
• समस्पृशत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-स्पृश् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

Speaker

Narrator (Skanda-context narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Inside a dim cave, an emaciated yogin sits immovable in dhāraṇā; his limbs are dried by tapas-fire. Nandī approaches and gently touches him with a radiant lotus.

Characters & Entities

• Nandī
• Jaigīṣavya
• Tapas (tapo-agni)
• Dhāraṇā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Concentration and austerity may exhaust the body, yet divine grace can instantly restore what devotion has offered.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The cave-retreat of the ascetic (within the Kāśī Khaṇḍa narrative) is presented as a sanctified yogic dwelling.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The act of ‘touch’ with the divinely empowered lotus, functioning like a consecrated restorative rite.