Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 55

Devanagari script

तपःक्रोधसमुत्थाभ्यां काशीविरहजन्मना । प्रलयानलवत्तीव्रं ज्वलंतं त्रिभिरग्निभिः

Transliteration

tapaḥkrodhasamutthābhyāṃ kāśīvirahajanmanā | pralayānalavattīvraṃ jvalaṃtaṃ tribhiragnibhiḥ

Translation

Menyala garang bagaikan api pralaya—terbit daripada pertapaan dan amarah, lahir daripada perpisahan dengan Kāśī—dia berkobar dengan tiga api.

Word by Word

• तपःक्रोधसमुत्थाभ्याम्: by (that which is) arisen from austerity and anger
• तपःक्रोधसमुत्थाभ्याम्: Karaṇa/Hetu (instrument/cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् + क्रोध + समुत्थ (कृदन्त; उत्था/स्था धातु)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (तपःक्रोधाभ्यां समुत्थम् = arisen from austerity and anger); नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग-सम्भाव्य, तृतीया (Instrumental), द्विवचन

• काशीविरहजन्मना: by (that) born of separation from Kāśī
• काशीविरहजन्मना: Karaṇa/Hetu (cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी + विरह + जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (काश्याः विरहात् जन्म = born from separation from Kāśī); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental), एकवचन

• प्रलयानलवत्: like the fire of dissolution
• प्रलयानलवत्: Karma (qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रलय + अनल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (प्रलयस्य अनलः = fire of dissolution) + वत्-प्रत्यय (possessive/similar); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• तीव्रम्: intense
• तीव्रम्: Karma (qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तीव्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• ज्वलन्तम्: blazing
• ज्वलन्तम्: Karma (object described)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्वल् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन

• त्रिभिः: with three
• त्रिभिः: Viśeṣaṇa (qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental), बहुवचन; संख्या-विशेषण

• अग्निभिः: fires
• अग्निभिः: Karaṇa (instrument/means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental), बहुवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration typically Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (as the cause of viraha)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sages (frame implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Agastya appears wreathed in threefold flames—tapas, krodha, and Kāśī-viraha—like a controlled apocalypse; the surrounding air shimmers, trees bend away, and the sky reddens, yet the sage remains centered, directing the fire inward.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Agastya (implied subject)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Longing for Kāśī and the Lord can become an intense inner purification, transforming emotion into spiritual force.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) is explicitly invoked as so sacred that separation from it is depicted as spiritually burning.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is stated; the verse emphasizes bhāva (inner disposition) and tapas linked to Kāśī’s sanctity.