Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 73

Devanagari script

निशीथिनीषु शिशिरे श्रयंती सारसं रसम् । मेने सा सारसैः केयमुद्यताद्येति पद्मिनी

Transliteration

niśīthinīṣu śiśire śrayaṃtī sārasaṃ rasam | mene sā sārasaiḥ keyamudyatādyeti padminī

Translation

真夜中の冷えの中、蓮の精髄を糧として身を支え、白鳥たちには、今日水より立ち上がるかのような「蓮の乙女」と見えた。

Word by Word

• निशीथिनीषु: in the nights
• निशीथिनीषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निशीथिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), बहुवचन

• शिशिरे: in the cold season
• शिशिरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिशिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; ‘in winter/cold’

• श्रयन्ती: resorting to
• श्रयन्ती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रि (धातु √श्रि)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘resorting to’

• सारसम्: lotus-born; of the crane/lotus (contextual)
• सारसम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सारस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• रसम्: juice/essence
• रसम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• मेने: thought/considered
• मेने: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मन् (धातु √मन्)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• सारसैः: with the cranes (sārasa birds)
• सारसैः: Sahakaraka (Association/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सारस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; करण/सह (instrumental/with)

• का: who?
• का: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम

• इयम्: this (woman)
• इयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; निर्देशवाचक सर्वनाम

• उद्यता: raised/ready
• उद्यता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उद्-यम् (धातु √यम्)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘raised/ready’

• आद्य: first/foremost
• आद्य: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आद्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘first/foremost’ (अत्र सम्भवतः ‘आद्यः’)

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/वाक्यसमाप्ति निपात (quotative particle)

• पद्मिनी: the lotus-maiden (padminī)
• पद्मिनी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद्मिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (lotus-water tirtha implied)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At midnight in winter, near a lotus-filled waterbody, the maiden sustains herself on lotus essence; swans on the water look toward her as if she were a lotus-maiden emerging anew.

Characters & Entities

• swans (sārasa)
• lotus (padma)
• Kāśī (Kṣetra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purity born of tapas is likened to the lotus—untouched by hardship and luminous even in cold darkness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kāśī setting continues; the verse uses natural imagery to magnify the sanctity and austerity within the kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual; a form of austere sustenance (living on “lotus-essence”) is poetically indicated.