Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मसूनुवपुस्तेजो दूरीकृतदरीतमाः । तमागच्छंतमालोक्य मानसं तम उज्जहौ

Transliteration

brahmasūnuvapustejo dūrīkṛtadarītamāḥ | tamāgacchaṃtamālokya mānasaṃ tama ujjahau

Translation

ବ୍ରହ୍ମପୁତ୍ରଙ୍କ ସେହି ଦେହତେଜ ପର୍ବତ-ଗୁହାର ଅନ୍ଧକାରକୁ ଦୂର କଲା; ତାଙ୍କୁ ଆସୁଥିବା ଦେଖି ପର୍ବତ ନିଜ ମନର ଅନ୍ଧକାରକୁ ମଧ୍ୟ ତ୍ୟାଗ କଲା।

Word by Word

• ब्रह्मसूनुवपुस्तेजः: the splendor of Brahmā’s son’s body (i.e., Nārada’s radiance)
• ब्रह्मसूनुवपुस्तेजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्म-सूनु-वपुस्-तेजस् (प्रातिपदिक; ब्रह्म + सूनु + वपुस् + तेजस्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्तृपद-समर्थक (neut. nom. sg.)

• दूरीकृतदरीतमाः: that which dispelled the cave-darkness
• दूरीकृतदरीतमाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दूरीकृत-दरी-तमस् (प्रातिपदिक; दूरीकृत (क्त) + दरी + तमस्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण; ‘having driven away the darkness of caves’

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म (masc. acc. sg.)

• आगच्छन्तम्: coming
• आगच्छन्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-गम् (धातु; गत्यर्थ) → आगच्छत् (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; ‘coming’

• आलोक्य: having seen
• आलोक्य: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ-लोक् (धातु; दर्शने)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (Gerund): ‘having seen/observed’

• मानसम्: the mind
• मानसम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म (neut. acc. sg.)

• तमः: darkness
• तमः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म (neut. acc. sg.)

• उज्जहौ: cast away
• उज्जहौ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद्-हā (धातु; त्यागे)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; ‘cast away/abandoned’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: cave

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nārada approaches; his radiance floods dark mountain caves, turning black hollows into glowing chambers; simultaneously, the mountain is shown with a serene ‘mind’—dark aura lifting away like mist.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Brahmā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Contact with the luminous saint dispels both outer obscurity and inner ignorance—satsaṅga becomes a force of liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kāśī setting where even caves and cliffs are symbolically purified by a sage’s presence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse conveys a spiritual principle: illumination through the presence of the realized.