Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

निःश्वासवातनिहताः पेतुरुर्व्यां महाद्रुमाः । उद्वेलिताः समभवन्सप्तापि जलराशयः

Transliteration

niḥśvāsavātanihatāḥ petururvyāṃ mahādrumāḥ | udvelitāḥ samabhavansaptāpi jalarāśayaḥ

Translation

Frappés par le vent qui se leva tel un souffle immense, les grands arbres s’abattirent sur la terre ; et les sept étendues d’eau se soulevèrent, houleuses et débordantes.

Word by Word

• niḥśvāsa-vāta-nihatāḥ: struck down by breath and wind
• niḥśvāsa-vāta-nihatāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: niḥśvāsa (प्रातिपदिक) + vāta (प्रातिपदिक) + nihata (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; नि√हन् + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—द्वन्द्व (niḥśvāsa-vāta) + तत्पुरुष (…-nihata)

• petuḥ: fell
• petuḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √pat (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• urvyām: on the earth
• urvyām: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: urvī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• mahā-drumāḥ: great trees
• mahā-drumāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + druma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय

• udvelitāḥ: uplifted, surged
• udvelitāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ud√vel (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• samabhavan: became
• samabhavan: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam√bhū (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• sapta: seven
• sapta: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sapta (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; संख्याविशेषण

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अपि-निपात (also/even)

• jala-rāśayaḥ: bodies of water
• jala-rāśayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jala (प्रातिपदिक) + rāśi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (jala-rāśi = ‘mass of water’)

Speaker

Skanda

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A violent windstorm sweeps through: massive trees topple, the earth shudders, and seven great waters surge and overflow, as if nature itself is convulsed.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It evokes the overwhelming power of cosmic forces, implying that worldly stability is fragile—yet Kāśī’s māhātmya is praised precisely as the enduring refuge amid upheaval.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader context is Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa; this verse functions as a dramatic mahatmya-style description rather than naming a single tirtha in the line itself.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit vrata, dāna, snāna, or japa is prescribed in this particular verse; it is primarily descriptive (portent/cosmic upheaval imagery).