Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

कुपितोपि हि मे रुद्रस्तेजोहानिं विधास्यति । काश्यां च लप्स्ये तत्तेजो यद्वै स्वात्मावबोधजम्

Transliteration

kupitopi hi me rudrastejohāniṃ vidhāsyati | kāśyāṃ ca lapsye tattejo yadvai svātmāvabodhajam

Translation

रुद्र माझ्यावर रुष्ट झाले तरी ते माझ्या बाह्य तेजाचा क्षय करतील; पण काशीत मी आत्मबोधातून उत्पन्न होणारे ते सत्य तेज प्राप्त करीन।

Word by Word

• कुपितः: angered
• कुपितः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कुप् (धातु) → कुपित (क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (रुद्रः)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha-bodhaka (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), ‘even/also’

• हि: indeed/for
• हि: Sambandha-bodhaka (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), हेत्वर्थ/निश्चयार्थ

• मे: my/of me
• मे: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; ‘of me/my’

• रुद्रः: Rudra (Śiva)
• रुद्रः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• तेजः-हानिम्: loss of radiance
• तेजः-हानिम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तेजस् + हानि (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समास: तेजसः हानिः (loss of splendor)

• विधास्यति: will bring about
• विधास्यति: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-धा (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (भविष्यत्/future), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• काश्याम्: in Kāśī
• काश्याम्: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन

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

• लप्स्ये: I shall obtain
• लप्स्ये: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (भविष्यत्/future), आत्मनेपद, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन

• तत्-तेजः: that radiance
• तत्-तेजः: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम) + तेजस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘that radiance’

• यत्: which
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative pronoun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धक ‘which’ (refers to तत्-तेजः)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha-bodhaka (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), निश्चयार्थ/खलु-अर्थ

• स्वात्मावबोधजम्: born of self-realization
• स्वात्मावबोधजम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व + आत्मन् + अवबोध + ज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (तेजः); समास (बहुपद-तत्पुरुष): स्वात्मनः अवबोधात् जतम् (born from realization of one’s own Self)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśī-khaṇḍa norm: Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mumukṣu-oriented audience in the frame dialogue

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee in Kāśī sits near a liṅga with eyes closed; his outer ornaments fade while a bright inner flame glows at the heart/forehead; Rudra appears stern in the sky yet the devotee’s inner light intensifies.

Characters & Entities

• Rudra (Śiva)
• Kāśī
• Svātma-avabodha (Self-realization)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly brilliance can be lost, but Kāśī grants the higher ‘tejas’ of Self-knowledge, which is the enduring spiritual attainment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is glorified as the place where the radiance born of Self-realization is attained.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated; the verse points to Kāśī as a jñāna-kṣetra where realization is the central attainment.