Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

तत्कोधानलधूमोघैर्व्यापितं यन्नभोंगणम् । तद्दधाति नभोद्यापि नीलिमानं महत्तरम्

Transliteration

tatkodhānaladhūmoghairvyāpitaṃ yannabhoṃgaṇam | taddadhāti nabhodyāpi nīlimānaṃ mahattaram

Translation

La voûte du ciel, envahie par des nappes de fumée issues de ce feu de colère, revêt encore aujourd’hui une bleuïté plus profonde et plus immense.

Word by Word

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter, nominative/accusative singular); विशेषणरूपेण

• कोध: of anger
• कोध: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कोध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन (masculine, genitive singular); समासाङ्ग (compound member)

• अनल: fire
• अनल: Samasa-anga (Compound member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (masculine, nominative singular); समासाङ्ग

• धूम: smoke
• धूम: Samasa-anga (Compound member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धूम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासाङ्ग

• ओघैः: by the torrents/masses (of smoke of the fire of anger)
• ओघैः: Karana (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ओघ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन (masculine, instrumental plural); समासः: तत्-कोध-अनल-धूम-ओघ (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/निर्देशात्मक)

• व्यापितम्: pervaded, filled
• व्यापितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: व्याप् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे विशेषणम्

• यत्: which
• यत्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• नभः: of the sky
• नभः: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नभस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; समासाङ्ग

• गणम्: the expanse/host (of the sky)
• गणम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः: नभो-गण (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; अनुवृत्तिसूचक

• दधाति: places, bestows, gives
• दधाति: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (present indicative, 3rd sg)

• नभः: the sky
• नभः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नभस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तृपद

• उद्यापि: even still
• उद्यापि: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उद् + अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle); अर्थः ‘अपि/एव/अद्यापि’ = even/still

• नीलिमानम्: blueness
• नीलिमानम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नीलिमन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (masculine, accusative singular)

• महत्तरम्: greater, more intense
• महत्तरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तरप्-प्रत्यय (comparative)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative voice to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (Śaṃbhu-dhāma)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and ṛṣis at Naimiṣāraṇya (typical frame; not stated in the verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vast sky over Kāśī turns intensely blue, veiled by rolling smoke from a wrathful, unseen fire; below, the aura of Śiva’s abode glows, suggesting a boundary between human city and divine precinct.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (context)
• Śiva/Śaṃbhu (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine power reshapes even the cosmos; awe and humility are the proper response to Śiva’s supremacy.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kāśīkhaṇḍa context frames the scene within Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), Śiva’s sacred domain, though this verse itself describes cosmic omens.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None is stated in this verse; it is descriptive, emphasizing portent and divine majesty.