Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 69

Devanagari script

तडित्स्फुरंतीत्वसकृत्तमिस्रासु तपोवने । यातायातं करोतीव द्रष्टुं तत्तपसः स्थितिम्

Transliteration

taḍitsphuraṃtītvasakṛttamisrāsu tapovane | yātāyātaṃ karotīva draṣṭuṃ tattapasaḥ sthitim

Translation

തപോവനത്തിന്റെ ഘോര അന്ധകാരത്തിൽ മിന്നൽ വീണ്ടും വീണ്ടും മിന്നിത്തിളങ്ങി; ആ തപസ്സിന്റെ സ്ഥിരസ്ഥിതി കാണാൻ ഇങ്ങോട്ടും അങ്ങോട്ടും സഞ്ചരിക്കുന്നതുപോലെ തോന്നി.

Word by Word

• तडित्-स्फुरन्ती: flashing like lightning
• तडित्-स्फुरन्ती: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तडित् (प्रातिपदिक) + स्फुरन्ती (स्फुर् धातु-शतृ/शानच्, कृदन्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (तडिदिव स्फुरन्ती)

• इत्वा: having gone
• इत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: इ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive)

• सकृत्: once / at times
• सकृत्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सकृत् (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/आवृत्त्यर्थक-अव्यय (adverb: once/at times)

• तमिस्रासु: in dark (nights)
• तमिस्रासु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तमिस्रा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• तपोवने: in the grove of austerity
• तपोवने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक) + वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (तपसः वनम्)

• यात-आयातम्: going and coming
• यात-आयातम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यात (या धातु-क्त, कृदन्त) + आयात (आ+या धातु-क्त, कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; द्वन्द्वः (यातं च आयातं च)

• करोति: does
• करोति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• इव: as if
• इव: Sambandha (Comparison/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमार्थक-अव्यय (particle of comparison)

• द्रष्टुम्: to see
• द्रष्टुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (infinitive)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; निर्देशक (demonstrative)

• तपसः: of the austerity
• तपसः: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• स्थितिम्: state/condition
• स्थितिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थिति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (tapo-vana)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Night in a dark ascetic forest: repeated lightning illuminates the scene in pulses, as if the lightning itself paces to ‘see’ the unwavering tapas; the maiden remains a still silhouette revealed in flashes.

Characters & Entities

• tapo-vana (forest of austerity)
• Kāśī (Kṣetra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Great tapas becomes so radiant and steady that even nature is poetically portrayed as bearing witness to it.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A tapovana within the Kāśī Kṣetra is implied, reinforcing Kāśī’s identity as a landscape that supports intense sādhanā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse uses symbolic description to magnify the grandeur and steadiness of austerity.