Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

कश्चिद्दावानलालीढ खर्जूरद्रुमसन्निभम् । बिभ्रदूरुद्वयंभूतो व्यात्तास्यस्तमभीषयत्

Transliteration

kaściddāvānalālīḍha kharjūradrumasannibham | bibhradūrudvayaṃbhūto vyāttāsyastamabhīṣayat

Translation

മറ്റൊരാൾ കാട്ടുതീയിൽ കരിഞ്ഞ ഈന്തപ്പനപോലെ; രണ്ട് മഹത്തായ തുടകളുള്ള ഭൂതനായി, വായ് പിളർത്തി അവനെ ഭീതിപ്പെടുത്താൻ ശ്രമിച്ചു।

Word by Word

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

• दावानलालीढ: scorched/licked by a forest-fire
• दावानलालीढ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दावानल (प्रातिपदिक) + आलीढ (धातु √लिह्, क्त-प्रत्यय, कृदन्त)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम्; ‘आलीढ’ = क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (licked/burnt)

• खर्जूरद्रुमसन्निभम्: resembling a date-palm tree
• खर्जूरद्रुमसन्निभम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: खर्जूर (प्रातिपदिक) + द्रुम (प्रातिपदिक) + सन्निभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; उपमानार्थक-विशेषणम्

• बिभ्रत्: bearing, carrying
• बिभ्रत्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धातु √भृ (to bear) (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्तः (शतृ), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषण-भावेन

• ऊरुद्वयम्: a pair of thighs
• ऊरुद्वयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऊरु (प्रातिपदिक) + द्वय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘द्वय’ संख्यावाचक-पूर्वपदेन द्विगु-समासः

• भूतः: having become
• भूतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धातु √भू (to become) (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘become’ अर्थे

• व्यात्तास्यः: with mouth wide open
• व्यात्तास्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: व्यात्त (धातु √यम्/√तन्?; ‘वि+आ+√तन्/√यम्’ अर्थे ‘open’, क्त-प्रत्यय, कृदन्त) + आस्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः = ‘यस्य आस्यं व्यात्तम् सः’

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

• अभीषयत्: frightened
• अभीषयत्: Kriya (Main predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धातु √भीष्/√भी (to frighten) (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta-Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣi-assembly

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A charred date-palm-like figure, as if licked by wildfire, becomes a bhūta with enormous thighs; mouth gapes wide in a silent roar as it looms to frighten the child/hero.

Characters & Entities

• Bhūtas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is maintained not by reacting to horrific forms, but by holding firm to one’s vow and inner clarity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader glorification belongs to Kāśī in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa; this verse is part of the testing episode.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.