Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 47

Devanagari script

तस्तंभ तावत्तद्बाहुं स शैलादिः स्वलीलया । वाक्स्तंभश्चापि तस्यासीन्मुनेर्व्यासस्य सन्मुनेः

Transliteration

tastaṃbha tāvattadbāhuṃ sa śailādiḥ svalīlayā | vākstaṃbhaścāpi tasyāsīnmunervyāsasya sanmuneḥ

Translation

Alors le Seigneur Śailādi (Śiva), par sa propre puissance de jeu divin, rendit aussitôt ce bras raide; et la parole du sage Vyāsa, noble voyant, se trouva elle aussi arrêtée.

Word by Word

• tastaṃbha: stopped/paralyzed
• tastaṃbha: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √stambh (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• tāvat: then/for that while
• tāvat: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tāvat (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तावत्तावत्-सम्बन्धे/कालपरिमाणे (for that long/just then)

• tat-bāhum: that arm (his arm)
• tat-bāhum: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + bāhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (tasya bāhuṃ)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• śaila-ādiḥ: the mountain and the like (i.e., the one called Śailādi)
• śaila-ādiḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaila (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (śailādayaḥ yasya/śailādiḥ = ‘mountain etc.’ as a class-name)

• sva-līlayā: by his own play (effortlessly)
• sva-līlayā: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + līlā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (svasyā līlayā)

• vāk-stambhaḥ: speech-stoppage
• vāk-stambhaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāc (प्रातिपदिक) + stambha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (vācaḥ stambhaḥ)

• ca: and
• ca: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)

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

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Shashthi-sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• āsīt: was/occurred
• āsīt: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• muneḥ: of the sage
• muneḥ: Shashthi-sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• vyāsasya: of Vyāsa
• vyāsasya: Shashthi-sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vyāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• sat-muneḥ: of the good sage
• sat-muneḥ: Shashthi-sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sat (प्रातिपदिक) + muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (san muniḥ)

Speaker

Narrator (Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative voice; traditionally Skanda addressing Agastya in Kāśī Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and ṛṣis (frame implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva (Śailādi) by playful power freezes Vyāsa’s raised arm; Vyāsa’s speech halts mid-recitation, disciples startled; the air thick with divine presence.

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• Śiva (Śailādi)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In Kāśī’s sacred theology, Śiva actively safeguards right understanding, even restraining a great sage when a teaching misaligns with the supreme truth of the section.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The episode belongs to Kāśī’s māhātmya where Śiva’s immediacy and protection of dharma are central to the holiness of the city.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed; the verse narrates a miraculous restraint (stambha) as a theological sign.