Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 79

Devanagari script

अतीव निष्कंपहृदं गोविदार्पितचेतसम् । तपोंकुरमिवोद्भिद्य मेदिनीं समुदित्वरम्

Transliteration

atīva niṣkaṃpahṛdaṃ govidārpitacetasam | tapoṃkuramivodbhidya medinīṃ samuditvaram

Translation

Le cœur parfaitement inébranlable et l’esprit offert à Govinda, il se dressa comme s’il fendait la terre—tel un germe d’ascèse perçant le sol en s’élevant.

Word by Word

• अतीव: exceedingly
• अतीव: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अतीव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तीव्रताबोधक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• निष्कम्पहृदम्: with an unshaking heart
• निष्कम्पहृदम्: Visheshana (Adjectival to implied person/being)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निः + कम्प + हृद् (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः—‘निष्कम्पं हृदं यस्य’ (whose heart is unmoving)

• गोविदार्पितचेतसम्: whose mind is devoted to Govinda
• गोविदार्पितचेतसम्: Visheshana (Adjectival)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गोविद + अर्पित + चेतस् (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः—‘गोविदे अर्पितं चेतः यस्य’ (whose mind is offered to Govinda)

• तपः-अङ्कुरम्: a sprout of austerity
• तपः-अङ्कुरम्: Upamana (Object of comparison/उपमान-प्रयोग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् + अङ्कुर (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (तपसः अङ्कुरः)

• इव: like
• इव: Sambandha (Comparison marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमावाचक-अव्यय (comparative particle)

• उद्भिद्य: having burst forth
• उद्भिद्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद् + √भिद् (धातु) + ल्यप् (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यपन्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), ‘having burst forth/split’

• मेदिनीम्: the earth
• मेदिनीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मेदिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• समुदित्वरम्: rising up swiftly
• समुदित्वरम्: Visheshana (Adjectival)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + उद् + √इ (धातु) + त्वर (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त-भाव)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘rising up quickly/coming forth’ (त्वर-प्रत्ययार्थः)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration, commonly Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Dhruva stands firm, serene and fearless, rising as if breaking through earth like a sprout—symbolizing tapas emerging into visible power—while the protective aura remains around him.

Characters & Entities

• Govinda (Viṣṇu)
• Dhruva (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When the mind is surrendered to the Divine, tapas becomes creative power—steadiness births spiritual ascent.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The larger Kāśīkhaṇḍa glorifies Kāśī; this verse provides an inner spiritual image rather than a site-description.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed; the implied discipline is sustained tapas and devotional surrender.