Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

कश्चिच्च महिषाकारः क्षिपञ्शृंगाग्रतो गिरोन् । लांगूलताडितधरः श्वसन्वेगात्तमाप्तवान्

Transliteration

kaścicca mahiṣākāraḥ kṣipañśṛṃgāgrato giron | lāṃgūlatāḍitadharaḥ śvasanvegāttamāptavān

Translation

മറ്റൊരാൾ മഹിഷാകാരൻ—കൊമ്പുകളുടെ അഗ്രങ്ങളാൽ പർവ്വതങ്ങളെ എറിഞ്ഞു; വാലാൽ ഭൂമിയെ അടിച്ചു, ശക്തമായ ശ്വാസവേഗത്തിൽ ഫുഫ്കരിച്ച് അവന്റെ അടുത്തെത്തി।

Word by Word

• कश्चित्: someone, a certain (one)
• कश्चित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + चित् (निपात/अव्यय)
• Form: सर्वनाम-शब्दः; पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha/Connector
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• महिषाकारः: having the form of a buffalo
• महिषाकारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महिष (प्रातिपदिक) + आकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• क्षिपन्: throwing, hurling
• क्षिपन्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धातु √क्षिप् (to throw) (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्तः (शतृ-प्रत्यय/Present active participle), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषण-भावेन

• शृंगाग्रतः: in front of the horn-tips
• शृंगाग्रतः: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शृंग (प्रातिपदिक) + अग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्ययवत्; ‘अग्रतः’ = अव्यय (in front of)

• गिरोन्: mountains
• गिरोन्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गिरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; (रूपं: गिरिन्-शब्दस्य द्वितीया बहुवचनम्)

• लांगूलताडितधरः: bearing (things) struck by the tail / tail-striking bearer
• लांगूलताडितधरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लाङ्गूल (प्रातिपदिक) + ताडित (धातु √ताड्, क्त-प्रत्यय, कृदन्त) + धर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम्; ‘ताडित’ = क्त-प्रत्ययान्त

• श्वसन्वेगात्: from the force of breathing
• श्वसन्वेगात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्वसन् (धातु √श्वस्, शतृ-कृदन्त) + वेग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; कारणार्थे (cause)

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• आप्तवान्: reached, obtained
• आप्तवान्: Kriya (Main predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धातु √आप् (to obtain) (धातु)
• Form: क्तवतुँ-प्रत्ययान्त (perfect participle/agentive past), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; परस्मैपद-भावार्थः

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta-Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣi-assembly (frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A buffalo-formed being charges forward, snorting violently; with horn-tips he seems to fling rocky masses, tail lashing the earth, dust and shockwaves rising as he closes in on the child/target.

Characters & Entities

• Bhūtas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The seeker’s path may be confronted by overwhelming force; steadfast tapas is portrayed as the higher power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the broader sacred setting in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa; this verse does not specify a named tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.