Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

पीत्वा वर्षसहस्रं वै कणधूमं सुदुःसहम् । एषा प्राप्तेश्वराद्विद्या बांधवानां सुखावहा

Transliteration

pītvā varṣasahasraṃ vai kaṇadhūmaṃ suduḥsaham | eṣā prāpteśvarādvidyā bāṃdhavānāṃ sukhāvahā

Translation

ആയിരം വർഷം കണധൂമംപോലെ അത്യന്തം ദുസ്സഹമായ കഷ്ടം സഹിച്ച് ഞാൻ പ്രഭുവിൽ നിന്നു ഈ വിദ്യ പ്രാപിച്ചു; ഇത് ബന്ധുക്കൾക്ക് ക്ഷേമവും സുഖവും നൽകുന്നതാണ്।

Word by Word

• पीत्वा: having drunk
• पीत्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), परस्मैपदी-धातु; अव्ययभावेन क्रियाविशेषणम् (having drunk)

• वर्षसहस्रम्: a thousand years
• वर्षसहस्रम्: Karmapravacanīya/Avadhi (Extent/measure)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; कालपरिमाणवाचकं (measure of time)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अवधान/निश्चयार्थक

• कणधूमम्: smoke with particles (sooty smoke)
• कणधूमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कण (प्रातिपदिक) + धूम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (धूम-शब्दः पुं), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• सुदुःसहम्: very hard to endure
• सुदुःसहम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + दुःसह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणं कणधूमस्य

• एषा: this (she/this one)
• एषा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• प्राप्तेश्वरात्: from Prāpteśvara (a lord named Prāpteśvara)
• प्राप्तेश्वरात्: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राप्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (Ablative/5th), एकवचन; स्रोतः/उत्पत्तिस्थानवाचक

• विद्या: knowledge; spell
• विद्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विद्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• बांधवानाम्: of (one’s) kinsmen
• बांधवानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बान्धव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन

• सुखावहा: bringing happiness
• सुखावहा: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुख (प्रातिपदिक) + आवह (धातु→प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; विशेषणं विद्यायाः

Speaker

Bhārgava (Śukrācārya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dānava-pati (king/lord of the Dānavas)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śukra (Kavi) recounts a severe, smoke-fine ordeal endured for a thousand years, then receiving a luminous vidyā from the Lord; the atmosphere is ascetic and numinous, with subtle smoke/aura imagery.

Characters & Entities

• Bhārgava (Śukrācārya)
• Īśvara
• Vidyā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine knowledge is presented as arising from intense tapas and grace, and its righteous use is to benefit others.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No named tīrtha appears in the verse; the passage belongs to the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No formal rite; it highlights prolonged austerity (tapas) as the means of attaining vidyā.