Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

ऊर्ध्वमाचक्रमे तस्य रेतः सोमत्वमीयिवत् । नेत्राभ्यां तच्च सुस्राव दशधा द्योतयद्दिशः

Transliteration

ūrdhvamācakrame tasya retaḥ somatvamīyivat | netrābhyāṃ tacca susrāva daśadhā dyotayaddiśaḥ

Translation

അവന്റെ രേതസ് ഊർദ്ധ്വമായി ഉയർന്ന് സോമത്വം പ്രാപിച്ചു. പിന്നെ അത് കണ്ണുകളിൽ നിന്ന് സ്രവിച്ച്, പത്തു ധാരകളായി ദീപ്തമായി ദിക്കുകളെ പ്രകാശിപ്പിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• ūrdhvam: upwards
• ūrdhvam: Gati/Direction (दिशा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ūrdhva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb)

• ācakrame: went/advanced
• ācakrame: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā + kram (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• retaḥ: semen
• retaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: retas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• somatvam: the state of being Soma
• somatvam: Gati (Result/state/गति)
• Type: Noun
• Root: soma + tva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• īyivat: having gone/attained
• īyivat: Kriya (Predicate participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: i (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-कृदन्त (perfect participle/भूतपूर्व-भाव), ‘ईयिवस्’ (parasmaipada perfect active participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• netrābhyām: from (his) two eyes
• netrābhyām: Apādāna (Source/outflow/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: netra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), द्विवचन (Dual)

• tat: that (semen)
• tat: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• ca: and
• ca: Connector (Samuccaya/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• susrāva: flowed out
• susrāva: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sru (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• daśadhā: tenfold
• daśadhā: Prakāra (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: daśadhā (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकार-अव्यय (adverb of manner: ‘in ten ways/tenfold’)

• dyotayat: illuminating
• dyotayat: Kriya (Concomitant action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dyut (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्यय (present active participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); क्रियाविशेषण-भाव (concomitant action)

• diśaḥ: the directions
• diśaḥ: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: diś (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural)

Speaker

Viṣṇugaṇas

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śivaśarmā

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Atri’s ascetic tejas culminates: a luminous essence rises, becomes Soma; from his eyes stream ten radiant currents lighting all directions.

Characters & Entities

• Atri
• Soma
• directions (diśaḥ)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tapas is depicted as transmuting inner essence into luminous, world-benefiting divinity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not site-specific; it is Somaloka origin lore within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa storyline.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse narrates a mythic cosmological event (Soma’s manifestation).