Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 56

Devanagari script

अहो अनिंधनो वह्निर्ज्वलत्येष निरंतरम् । अलं तप्त्वा महाविष्णो वरं वरय सत्तम

Transliteration

aho aniṃdhano vahnirjvalatyeṣa niraṃtaram | alaṃ taptvā mahāviṣṇo varaṃ varaya sattama

Translation

“Sungguh menakjubkan! Api tanpa bahan bakar menyala di sini tanpa henti. Cukuplah tapa itu, wahai Mahāviṣṇu—wahai yang terbaik di antara makhluk, pilihlah anugerah.”

Word by Word

• अहो: ah!
• अहो: Sambandha (उद्गार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अहो (अव्यय)
• Form: विस्मयादिबोधक निपात

• अनिन्धनः: fuel-less
• अनिन्धनः: Karta (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ + इन्धन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नञ्-समासभाव (without fuel)

• वह्निः: fire
• वह्निः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वह्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• ज्वलति: burns
• ज्वलति: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्वल् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• एषः: this
• एषः: Karta (अनुवाद/निर्देश)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• निरन्तरम्: continuously
• निरन्तरम्: Kriya-visheshana (रीति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: निरन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण अव्ययीभूत (adverbial accusative)

• अलम्: enough
• अलम्: Kriya-visheshana (पर्याप्ति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अलम् (अव्यय)
• Form: पर्याप्त्यर्थक अव्यय (enough/sufficient)

• तप्त्वा: having performed austerity
• तप्त्वा: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया; धातु: तप् (to heat/perform austerity)

• महाविष्णो: O Mahāviṣṇu
• महाविष्णो: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाविष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः (कर्मधारय): महान् विष्णुः; पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/vocative), एकवचन

• वरम्: a boon
• वरम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• वरय: choose
• वरय: Kriya (Command)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; धातु: वृ (to choose)

• सत्तम: O best one
• सत्तम: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; विशेषणरूपेण (best of beings)

Speaker

Śiva

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Cakra-puṣkariṇī

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: In-text audience (not specified)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva gestures toward the blazing aura around Viṣṇu: a flame that needs no wood; the air shimmers; Śiva’s face shows wonder and compassion as he invites Viṣṇu to ask a boon; Pārvatī watches with gentle approval; the tank’s surface reflects the firelight.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Mahāviṣṇu
• Tapas
• Anindhana-vahni (unfueled fire)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When tapas becomes perfected, divine grace responds—boons arise as a consequence of sustained purity and concentration.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kāśī setting around Cakra-puṣkariṇī, where the extraordinary tapas is acknowledged by Śiva.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse refers to tapas culminating in vara-prārthanā (requesting a boon), a common Purāṇic pattern after prolonged austerity.