Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

अतितीक्ष्णैर्विषाणाग्रैस्तटानुच्चान्विदारयन् । खुराग्रैर्दलयन्भूमिं महोक्षोऽभिजगर्जतम्

Transliteration

atitīkṣṇairviṣāṇāgraistaṭānuccānvidārayan | khurāgrairdalayanbhūmiṃ mahokṣo'bhijagarjatam

Translation

അത്യന്തം മൂർച്ചയുള്ള കൊമ്പുകളുടെ അഗ്രങ്ങളാൽ ഉയർന്ന തീരങ്ങൾ കീറിപ്പൊളിച്ച്, കുളമ്പുകളുടെ അഗ്രങ്ങളാൽ ഭൂമിയെ തകർത്തുകൊണ്ട് ഒരു മഹാവൃഷഭൻ ഉച്ചത്തിൽ ഗർജ്ജിച്ച് മുന്നേറി।

Word by Word

• अतितीक्ष्णैः: with very sharp
• अतितीक्ष्णैः: Karana (Instrument)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अति + तीक्ष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (अतिशयेन तीक्ष्णैः)

• विषाणाग्रैः: with horn-tips
• विषाणाग्रैः: Karana (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विषाण + अग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (विषाणस्य अग्राणि)

• तटान्: banks/embankments
• तटान्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्म

• उच्चान्: high
• उच्चान्: Karma (Qualifier of object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उच्च (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (तटान्)

• विदारयन्: tearing apart
• विदारयन्: Kriyā (Concomitant action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि √दॄ/दर् (धातु) (शतृ)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि; मुख्यक्रियासह (while tearing)

• खुराग्रैः: with hoof-tips
• खुराग्रैः: Karana (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: खुर + अग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (खुरस्य अग्राणि)

• दलयन्: crushing/splitting
• दलयन्: Kriyā (Concomitant action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दल् (धातु) (शतृ)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि (while crushing/splitting)

• भूमिम्: the ground/earth
• भूमिम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूमि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्म

• महोक्षः: the great bull
• महोक्षः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महत् + उक्षन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (महान् उक्षः)

• अभिजगर्ज: roared loudly
• अभिजगर्ज: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि √गर्ज् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• तम्: at him
• तम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (एतत् पदं पाठे ‘अभिजगर्ज तम्’ इति, ‘तं’ = तं बालम्/तं जनम्)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā-taṭa in Kāśī (ghāṭa landscape implied)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A massive bull charges in, ripping up high riverbanks with razor horn-tips and pounding the ground with sharp hooves, roaring thunderously toward the child-ascetic near the sacred river.

Characters & Entities

• Bhūtas
• Mahokṣa (great bull-form apparition)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even earth-shaking intimidation is ultimately powerless against disciplined spiritual practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s sacred Kāśī milieu frames the episode; this verse does not name a distinct tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.