Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

गते बहुतिथेकाले प्राच्यौदीच्यां भृशार्दिताः । चण्डरश्मेः करव्रातपातसन्तापतापिताः

Transliteration

gate bahutithekāle prācyaudīcyāṃ bhṛśārditāḥ | caṇḍaraśmeḥ karavrātapātasantāpatāpitāḥ

Translation

Quand bien des jours furent passés, les peuples de l’orient et du nord furent cruellement tourmentés, brûlés par l’ardeur des gerbes de rayons du Soleil aux traits farouches.

Word by Word

• गते: when (it) had passed
• गते: Adhikarana (Locative circumstance/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गम् (धातु) → गत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; लोकेटिव्-अब्सोल्यूट् (सप्तमी-सम्बन्ध) ‘when ... had passed’

• बहुतिथे: in a time of many days
• बहुतिथे: Adhikarana (Locative qualifier/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक) + तिथि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (बहूनां तिथीनाम्), नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; ‘in/at (a time) of many days’

• काले: at the time
• काले: Adhikarana (Time locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• प्राच्यौदीच्याम्: in the eastern and northern regions
• प्राच्यौदीच्याम्: Adhikarana (Place locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राच्य (प्रातिपदिक) + औदीच्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (प्राच्यौ च औदीच्यौ च), स्त्रीलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; देशवाचक-समाहार/द्वन्द्व-समासः ‘in the eastern and northern (regions)’

• भृशार्दिताः: greatly afflicted
• भृशार्दिताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अर्द् (धातु) → अर्दित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) + भृशम् (अव्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; ‘greatly afflicted’ (भृशम् = अत्यर्थम्, अव्यय-उपपद)

• चण्डरश्मेः: of the fierce-rayed (sun)
• चण्डरश्मेः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चण्ड (प्रातिपदिक) + रश्मि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयः (चण्डः रश्मिः यस्य), पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; ‘of the fierce-rayed (sun)’

• करव्रातपातसन्तापतापिताः: scorched by the burning heat from the fall/beat of clusters of rays
• करव्रातपातसन्तापतापिताः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कर (प्रातिपदिक) + व्रात (प्रातिपदिक) + पात (प्रातिपदिक) + सन्ताप (प्रातिपदिक) + तप् (धातु) → तापित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुपद-तत्पुरुषसमासः; ‘कर-व्रात-पात-सन्तापेन तापिताः’ (तृतीया-तत्पुरुषार्थः), भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

Speaker

Narrator (Vyāsa continues by context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (implied narrative setting)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages at Naimiṣāraṇya (typical frame; not explicit here)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A parched landscape in the eastern and northern quarters: people shielding faces, cracked earth, shimmering heat-waves; the Sun depicted with fierce rays pouring down like spears.

Characters & Entities

• Sūrya
• Peoples of the East
• Peoples of the North

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When cosmic order is disturbed, all beings suffer—dharma is not abstract; it sustains the world’s welfare.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the verse describes regional suffering within the Kāśī-khaṇḍa storyline.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse.