Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

तमोंधकूपपतितमुद्यन्नेष दिनेदिने । प्रसार्य परितः पाणीन्प्राणिजातं समुद्धरेत्

Transliteration

tamoṃdhakūpapatitamudyanneṣa dinedine | prasārya paritaḥ pāṇīnprāṇijātaṃ samuddharet

Translation

ദിനംപ്രതി ഉദിച്ചുയർന്ന്, അന്ധകാരത്തിന്റെ അന്ധകൂപത്തിൽ വീണിരിക്കുന്ന പ്രാണിജാതത്തെ, ചുറ്റുമെങ്ങും കൈ നീട്ടിയതുപോലെ, മേലേക്ക് ഉയർത്തി രക്ഷിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• तमः-अन्ध-कूप-पतितम्: (those) fallen into the dark blind well
• तमः-अन्ध-कूप-पतितम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तमस् (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्ध (प्रातिपदिक) + कूप (प्रातिपदिक) + पतित (कृदन्त; √पत्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (determinative: 'fallen into the blind well of darkness')

• उद्यन्: rising
• उद्यन्: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उद्यत् (कृदन्त; √उद्+या/इ 'to rise')
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; वर्तमान-कृदन्त (present participle)

• एषः: this (Sun)
• एषः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• दिने-दिने: day after day
• दिने-दिने: Kala-adhikarana (कालाधिकरण/Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दिन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी-द्विवचन-प्रयोगवत् पुनरुक्ति (idiomatic repetition), कालवाचक (time: 'day by day')

• प्रसार्य: having stretched out
• प्रसार्य: Purva-kala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्र√सृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund)

• परितः: all around
• परितः: Desha-adhikarana (देशाधिकरण/Place)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: परितः (अव्यय)
• Form: उपसर्गसदृश/अव्यय (adverb: 'all around')

• पाणीन्: hands
• पाणीन्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाणि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• प्राणि-जातम्: all living beings
• प्राणि-जातम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राणि (प्रातिपदिक) + जात (कृदन्त; √जन्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष ('collection of living beings')

• समुद्धरेत्: should lift up/rescue
• समुद्धरेत्: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+उद्√हृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśī Khaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (metaphor of uplift from tamas)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and ṛṣis (traditional)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūrya rises with anthropomorphic compassion—arms extended—pulling beings from a dark, circular well; the world transitions from deep indigo night to saffron dawn.

Characters & Entities

• Sūrya
• Prāṇijāta (living beings)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Light is portrayed as rescue: divine order continually raises beings from ignorance and inertia toward awareness and life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific Kāśī location is named; the imagery is universal and devotional.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse implicitly honors daily sunrise devotion and the dhārmic ideal of moving from tamas to light.