Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

रुद्रश्चातीवरुद्रोभूद्बहुकोपाग्निदीपितः । ततस्तत्कोपजाद्वह्निराविरासीन्महाद्युतिः

Transliteration

rudraścātīvarudrobhūdbahukopāgnidīpitaḥ | tatastatkopajādvahnirāvirāsīnmahādyutiḥ

Translation

रुद्र अत्यंत उग्र झाला, तीव्र क्रोधाग्नीने प्रज्वलित. त्या क्रोधातून उत्पन्न झालेल्या वह्नीतून महान तेज प्रकट झाले.

Word by Word

• rudraḥ: Rudra
• rudraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rudra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• atīva-rudraḥ: exceedingly fierce
• atīva-rudraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: atīva (अव्यय) + rudra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयः (atīva-rudra = exceedingly fierce); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• abhūt: became
• abhūt: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist/Imperfective past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• bahu-kopa-agni-dīpitaḥ: kindled by the fire of great anger
• bahu-kopa-agni-dīpitaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक) + kopa (प्रातिपदिक) + agni (प्रातिपदिक) + dīpita (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त-क्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः (kopa-agni = fire of anger; bahu- = much; dīpita = kindled); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP)

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Discourse adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रम/हेतुवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: then/thereupon)

• tat-kopa-jāt: from that anger-born (source)
• tat-kopa-jāt: Apādāna (Source/Ablative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + kopa (प्रातिपदिक) + jāta (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त-क्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुषः (born from that anger); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन (ablative: from)

• vahniḥ: fire
• vahniḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vahni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• āvirāsīt: appeared, became manifest
• āvirāsīt: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: āvis (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक) + √as (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; āvis-पूर्वक (appeared)

• mahā-dyutiḥ: of great splendor
• mahā-dyutiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + dyuti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयः; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying vahniḥ)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced Kāśīkhaṇḍa norm: Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Śiva’s kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sage/audience in the frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rudra’s visage turns terrifying; a blaze born of wrath erupts, and from it a great radiance manifests—suggesting the birth of a formidable being or weaponized tejas.

Characters & Entities

• Rudra
• Mahākāla
• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Cosmic order responds to sacrilege; Rudra’s wrath is portrayed as a force that restores dharma when it is violated.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Indirectly Kāśī through Mahākāla/Rudra’s supremacy; the verse is primarily narrative rather than topographical.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it warns against ritual arrogance that provokes adharma and divine correction.