Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 92

Devanagari script

क्षणं संशीलयंस्तत्र ददर्श तपसोबलात् । न केवलं जहौ गेहं हुतभुक्चौदरीर्दरीः

Transliteration

kṣaṇaṃ saṃśīlayaṃstatra dadarśa tapasobalāt | na kevalaṃ jahau gehaṃ hutabhukcaudarīrdarīḥ

Translation

അവിടെ ക്ഷണമാത്രം പരിശോധിച്ച് അദ്ദേഹം തപോബലത്താൽ കണ്ടു—ഹുതഭുക് അഗ്നിദേവൻ വെറും വാസസ്ഥലം വിട്ടതല്ല; ഉദരത്തിലെ ഗുഹാസദൃശമായ അന്തർകന്ദരങ്ങളിലേക്കു പ്രവേശിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• kṣaṇam: for a moment
• kṣaṇam: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Temporal adjunct)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣaṇa (क्षण प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; adverbial accusative of time

• saṃśīlayan: examining/reflecting
• saṃśīlayan: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Concomitant action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: saṃ-śīlaya (सं-शीलय धातु; denominative from śīla)
• Form: Present active participle (शतृ), Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; ‘while considering/examining’

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (Locative sense)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (तत्र अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (स्थानवाचक अव्यय)

• dadarśa: saw
• dadarśa: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (दृश् धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular, Parasmaipada

• tapasaḥ: of austerity
• tapasaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (तपस् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular

• balāt: by the power
• balāt: Hetu (Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bala (बल प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular; instrumental sense ‘by virtue of’ expressed via ablative

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (न अव्यय)
• Form: Negation particle (निषेध)

• kevalam: only
• kevalam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kevala (केवल प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Adverbial usage (अव्ययीभाव/क्रियाविशेषण) meaning ‘only/merely’

• jahau: abandoned/left
• jahau: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: hā (हा धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular, Parasmaipada

• geham: home/house
• geham: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: geha (गेह प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• hutabhuk-caudarīḥ: the Hutabhuk-caudarī (fire-associated)
• hutabhuk-caudarīḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of darīḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hutabhuj (हुतभुज् प्रातिपदिक) + caudarī (चौदरी प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Plural; कर्मधारय: ‘fire’ (hutabhuk) qualifying ‘caudarī’ (name/epithet)

• darīḥ: caves/gullies
• darīḥ: Karma (Object; what was abandoned)
• Type: Noun
• Root: darī (दरी प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Plural

Speaker

Narrator (within the Kāśī Khaṇḍa frame), describing the King’s insight

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and ṛṣis (frame typical)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The king stands still, eyes focused inward; a subtle flame motif withdraws from a hearth-like dwelling and appears as a glowing presence entering cavernous inner spaces—symbolic ‘belly-caves’—while the outer scene remains calm.

Characters & Entities

• Hutabhuk (Agni)
• King (seer through tapas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tapas (disciplined spiritual power) grants insight into hidden realities—outer loss may reflect an inner relocation of power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kāśī setting frames the episode; this verse focuses on the mystery of Agni rather than a named tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it alludes to tapas as a means of knowledge.