Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

रसायनानि बहुशः सेवितानि मया पुनः । महासाहसमालंब्य सिद्धाध्युषितकंदराः

Transliteration

rasāyanāni bahuśaḥ sevitāni mayā punaḥ | mahāsāhasamālaṃbya siddhādhyuṣitakaṃdarāḥ

Translation

J’ai maintes fois pris de nombreux rasāyana, élixirs de rajeunissement ; et, m’appuyant sur une grande audace, je suis entré dans des grottes et des ravins habités par les siddhas, les êtres accomplis.

Word by Word

• rasāyanāni: rejuvenating elixirs; rasāyanas
• rasāyanāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rasāyana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Case 1/2), बहुवचन

• bahuśaḥ: many times; repeatedly
• bahuśaḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bahuśas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• sevitāni: were used/consumed; practiced
• sevitāni: Kriyā (Verbal predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sev (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया (Case 3), एकवचन

• punaḥ: again; further
• punaḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punar (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• mahā-sāhasaṃ: great audacity; great daring
• mahā-sāhasaṃ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (उपसर्ग/पूर्वपद) + sāhasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Case 2), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (mahā + sāhasa)

• ālambya: having resorted to; relying on
• ālambya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial; prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ā-√lamb (धातु) + lyap (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund), पूर्वकाल (having done)

• siddha-adhyuṣita-kaṃdarāḥ: caves inhabited by siddhas
• siddha-adhyuṣita-kaṃdarāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: siddha (प्रातिपदिक) + adhi-√vas/√uṣ (धातु) + kta (कृत्) + kaṃdarā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Case 1), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास: सिद्धैः अध्युṣिताः कन्दराः (caves inhabited by siddhas)

Speaker

Unspecified seeker (listener addressing Garga, contextually Damanā)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A weary seeker recounts having consumed rasāyana and ventured into siddha-inhabited caverns—dark ravines with faint inner light, ascetics in meditation, herbs and alchemical vessels hinted at—while Kāśī’s sanctity remains the unseen backdrop.

Characters & Entities

• Siddha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

External means—like rasāyana or daring ascetic exploits—do not by themselves guarantee spiritual accomplishment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not named in this verse, but the surrounding passage belongs to the Kāśī-khaṇḍa where Avimukta (Kāśī/Varanasi) is the central sacred field.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed here; the verse lists prior efforts undertaken by the seeker.