Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

वैमानिकैर्विष्णुपदे तत्यजे च गतागतम् । तीव्रे पतंगमहसि पतंगत्वभयादिव

Transliteration

vaimānikairviṣṇupade tatyaje ca gatāgatam | tīvre pataṃgamahasi pataṃgatvabhayādiva

Translation

Même les êtres célestes du séjour de Viṣṇu renoncèrent à leurs allées et venues ; dans l’éclat farouche du Soleil, on eût dit qu’ils craignaient de devenir des papillons de nuit attirés par la flamme.

Word by Word

• वैमानिकैः: by/with the celestial beings (vimāna-dwellers)
• वैमानिकैः: Karaṇa/Agent-associate (Instrumental of association)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैमानिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन

• विष्णुपदे: in Viṣṇu’s abode/region
• विष्णुपदे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक) + पद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: विष्णोः पदे

• तत्यजे: abandoned; gave up
• तत्यजे: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/परफेक्ट), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• च: and
• च: Conjunction
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयार्थक)

• गतागतम्: going and coming; movement to and fro
• गतागतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गत (कृदन्त, गम्-धातु) + आगत (कृदन्त, आ+गम्-धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; द्वन्द्व: गत + आगत = गमनागमनम्

• तीव्रे: in intense
• तीव्रे: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of महसि)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तीव्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; महसि इति विशेषण

• पतंगमहसि: in the Sun’s radiance
• पतंगमहसि: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पतंग (प्रातिपदिक) + महस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: पतंगस्य महसि

• पतंगत्वभयात्: from fear of becoming the Sun (i.e., being scorched/turned into a sun-like state)
• पतंगत्वभयात्: Apādāna (Cause/source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पतंगत्व (प्रातिपदिक) + भय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: पतंगत्वस्य भयम्; अपादानार्थे

• इव: as if; like
• इव: Comparative particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उपमावाचक)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśī Khaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sages (frame) / ‘muni’ addressed

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Celestial vimānas halt mid-flight near Viṣṇu’s realm; devas recoil from a blazing solar field, likened to moths fearing the flame.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Vaimānika (celestials)
• Sūrya (Pataṅga)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Unchecked intensity—even of a divine power—can unsettle worlds; dharma requires measured radiance that sustains rather than destroys.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not a specific tīrtha; it is a cosmic scene within the Kāśī Khaṇḍa’s larger sacred narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse narrates the reaction of celestial beings to overwhelming solar brilliance.