Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 58

Devanagari script

हेमकूटत्रिकूटाद्याः कूटोत्तरपदास्तुते । किष्किंधक्रौंचसह्याद्या भारसह्या न ते भुवः

Transliteration

hemakūṭatrikūṭādyāḥ kūṭottarapadāstute | kiṣkiṃdhakrauṃcasahyādyā bhārasahyā na te bhuvaḥ

Translation

ഹേ സ്തുത്യാ! ഹേമകൂടം, ത്രികൂടം മുതലായ ഉയർന്ന ശിഖരപ്രസിദ്ധ പർവ്വതങ്ങളും, കിഷ്കിന്ധാ, ക്രൗഞ്ചം, സഹ്യം മുതലായവയും—നീ വഹിക്കുന്ന ഭാരത്തെപ്പോലെ ഭാരമവർക്കു ഭൂമിയിൽ സഹിക്കാനാവില്ല.

Word by Word

• हेमकूटत्रिकूटाद्याः: Hemakūṭa, Trikūṭa and others
• हेमकूटत्रिकूटाद्याः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हेमकूट-त्रिकूट-आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन; समासः द्वन्द्व (हेमकूटश्च त्रिकूटश्च) + आदि-प्रत्ययार्थ (etc.)

• कूटोत्तरपदाः: having 'kūṭa' as the latter member (in their names)
• कूटोत्तरपदाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कूट-उत्तर-पद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन; समासः तत्पुरुष (उत्तरं पदं येषाम्)

• तु: but
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेषार्थक-निपात

• ते: O you
• ते: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case), एकवचन; सर्वनाम; सम्बोधनार्थे (vocative sense)

• किष्किंधक्रौंचसह्याद्याः: Kiṣkindhā, Krauñca, Sahya and others
• किष्किंधक्रौंचसह्याद्याः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किष्किंध-क्रौंच-सह्य-आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन; समासः द्वन्द्व (किष्किंधश्च क्रौंचश्च सह्यश्च) + आदि

• भारसह्याः: able to bear the burden; burden-enduring
• भारसह्याः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भार-सह्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (भारः सह्यः येषाम्/भारसह्याः)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• भुवः: lands; worlds
• भुवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन

Speaker

Vindhya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vindhya (implied addressee) and comparative peaks (Hemakūṭa, Trikūṭa, etc.)

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nārada

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vindhya personified as a colossal mountain-king bearing a visible ‘weight’ (bhāra) of the world, while other famed peaks appear in the background as lesser silhouettes; a sage-poet figure (Nārada) listens.

Characters & Entities

• Hemakūṭa
• Trikūṭa
• Kiṣkindhā
• Krauñca
• Sahya
• Vindhya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Comparisons and self-praise are unstable foundations for greatness; dharma teaches steadiness and humility over rivalry.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Multiple famed mountains are referenced as sacred-geography markers; the broader Kāśīkhaṇḍa ultimately orients such geography toward Kāśī’s supremacy.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.