Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

सर्पदष्टस्य संस्कारः कथं भवति चेति वै । तावत्स जीवन्नुत्तस्थौ सुप्तवच्चौपजंघनिः

Transliteration

sarpadaṣṭasya saṃskāraḥ kathaṃ bhavati ceti vai | tāvatsa jīvannuttasthau suptavaccaupajaṃghaniḥ

Translation

‘ସର୍ପଦଂଶିତଙ୍କର ଅନ୍ତ୍ୟେଷ୍ଟି-ସଂସ୍କାର କିପରି ହେବ?’ ଏମିତି ଚିନ୍ତା କରୁଥିବାବେଳେ, ସେଇ ମୁହୂର୍ତ୍ତରେ ଉପଜଂଘନି ଘୁମରୁ ଜାଗିଥିବା ପରି ଜୀବନ୍ତ ହୋଇ ଉଠିଲା।

Word by Word

• सर्पदष्टस्य: of one bitten by a snake
• सर्पदष्टस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्प + दष्ट (कृदन्त) (प्रातिपदिक-समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘सर्पेण दष्टः’ (bitten by a snake) इत्यस्य षष्ठी

• संस्कारः: funeral rite/rite
• संस्कारः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संस्कार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Sambandha/Discourse (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• भवति: happens/is
• भवति: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• च: and
• च: Sambandha/Discourse (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha/Discourse (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/वाक्यसमाप्त्यर्थक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha/Discourse (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/खल्वर्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• तावत्: just then
• तावत्: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: तावदर्थक-अव्यय (meanwhile/just then)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• जीवन्: alive
• जीवन्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जीव् (धातु) + शतृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘alive/living’ (predicative participle)

• उत्तस्थौ: rose up
• उत्तस्थौ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उत् + स्था (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सुप्तवत्: as if asleep
• सुप्तवत्: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुप्त (कृदन्त) + वत् (तद्धित)
• Form: उपमानवाचक ‘-वत्’; अव्ययवत्-प्रयोगः (like/as if asleep)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha/Discourse (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय

• उपजंघनिः: Upajaṅghani
• उपजंघनिः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपजंघनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेष-नाम

Speaker

Skanda (narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Svargadvāra-Mahāśmaśāna (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka-ādi ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The sage, worried about how to perform rites for a snake-bitten man, pauses in thought; suddenly the ‘corpse’ sits up, eyes opening like one waking, ash swirling around, liṅga glowing quietly nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Upajaṅghani
• Snakebite
• Saṃskāra (antyeṣṭi context)
• Liṅga (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s Śaiva sanctity is portrayed as so potent that even death-like states can be reversed by proximity to Śiva’s sacred presence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Mahāśmaśāna/Svargadvāra zone of Kāśī, in association with a nearby Liṅga.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It references saṃskāra in the sense of funerary rites (antyeṣṭi), though no procedure is detailed.