Shloka 30

The Description of Kāśī (Kāśī-māhātmya): Avimukta, Kapālamocana, and Śiva’s Purification

Devanagari script

तत्त्रिशूलक्षताद्धारास्तिस्रो लोकभयंकराः । प्रस्थद्वादशहस्ताश्च निर्गताश्चित्रवर्णिकाः ॥ ३० ॥

Transliteration

tattriśūlakṣatāddhārāstisro lokabhayaṃkarāḥ | prasthadvādaśahastāśca nirgatāścitravarṇikāḥ || 30 ||

Translation

その三叉戟の傷口から、三つの流れがほとばしり出た――諸世界を震え上がらせるほど恐ろしく――それぞれ十二肘の幅に広がり、奇妙にして多彩な色を帯びて流れ出た。

Word by Word

• tat: from that
• tat: Apadana (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; ‘from that’ (contextual with following)

• triśūla-kṣatāt: from the trident-wound
• triśūla-kṣatāt: Apadana (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: triśūla + kṣata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (Ablative), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (‘त्रिशूलेन कृतं क्षतम्’/‘trident-wound’)

• dhārāḥ: streams
• dhārāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhārā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• tisraḥ: three
• tisraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; धारा इति विशेषणम्

• loka-bhayaṃkarāḥ: terrifying to the worlds
• loka-bhayaṃkarāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: loka + bhayaṃkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; धारा इति विशेषणम्. समासः तत्पुरुषः (‘लोकस्य भयङ्कराः’)

• prastha: a prastha-measure (extent)
• prastha: Vishesana (विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prastha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; परिमाणवाचक (measure/extent)

• dvādaśa-hastāḥ: twelve cubits (in measure)
• dvādaśa-hastāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvādaśa + hasta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; धारा इति विशेषणम्. द्विगु-समासः (‘द्वादश हस्ताः प्रमाणं येषाम्’)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, conjunction (समुच्चय)

• nirgatāḥ: having issued forth
• nirgatāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nir-√gam (धातु)
• Form: क्त (PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; धारा इति विशेषणम्

• citra-varṇikāḥ: variegated in color
• citra-varṇikāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: citra + varṇika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; धारा इति विशेषणम्. कर्मधारयः (‘चित्राः वर्णिकाः’/‘variegated-colored’)

Speaker

Suta (narrating the Purana account)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in Narada Purana?

It portrays a tirtha-origin motif: a divine act (the trident’s strike) releases sacred, awe-inspiring flows, signaling that the place is charged with extraordinary spiritual potency and should be approached with reverence.

How does this verse explain the path of devotion (Bhakti)?

While not a direct bhakti instruction, the verse supports bhakti through sacred-place theology: devotion is intensified by honoring divine manifestations in the landscape, remembering the Lord’s power, and approaching tirthas with faith and humility.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

The verse mainly uses traditional measurement language (hasta as a unit) and vivid descriptive poetics; it is not a technical Vedanga passage, but it reflects careful ritual-geographic description typical of tirtha-mahatmya sections.