Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

या पीत्वा कणधूमं वै सहस्रं शरदां पुरा । वरा विद्या त्वया प्राप्ता तस्याः कालोयमागतः

Transliteration

yā pītvā kaṇadhūmaṃ vai sahasraṃ śaradāṃ purā | varā vidyā tvayā prāptā tasyāḥ kāloyamāgataḥ

Translation

วิทยาอันประเสริฐที่ครั้งก่อนท่านได้มาโดยอดทนต่อควันธุลีตลอดพันฤดูสารท—บัดนี้กาลแห่งผลสัมฤทธิ์ของนางได้มาถึงแล้ว

Word by Word

• या: which (that)
• या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Relative pronoun; ‘which (she/that)’

• पीत्वा: having drunk
• पीत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √पा (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive) — ‘having drunk’

• कण-धूमम्: smoke of particles (fine smoke)
• कण-धूमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कण (प्रातिपदिक) + धूम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Accusative singular

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक निपात (emphatic particle)

• सहस्रम्: a thousand
• सहस्रम्: Karma (Extent/परिमाण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Accusative singular; परिमाणवाचक (measure)

• शरदाम्: of years (autumns)
• शरदाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध/6th case), बहुवचन — Genitive plural

• पुरा: formerly, long ago
• पुरा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb of time)

• वरा: excellent
• वरा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Nominative singular; विशेषण (qualifying विद्या)

• विद्या: knowledge, spell
• विद्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विद्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Nominative singular

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karana (Agent-in-passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-प्रयोगे मध्यमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; तृतीया, एकवचन — Instrumental singular ‘by you’

• प्राप्ता: was obtained
• प्राप्ता: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्राप्त (कृदन्त; √आप्/√प्राप् (धातु) क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — past passive participle agreeing with विद्या

• तस्याः: of that (knowledge)
• तस्याः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन — Genitive singular

• कालः: time
• कालः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Nominative singular

• अयम्: this
• अयम्: Visheshana (Apposition/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Nominative singular; कालः इति विशेषण/समानाधिकरण

• आगतः: has come, has arrived
• आगतः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आगत (कृदन्त; √गम् (धातु) क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — past participle used predicatively

Speaker

Andhaka (deduced from immediate context leading into ‘ityaṃdhakavacaḥ śrutvā…’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A speaker recalls an ancient ordeal: a sage-like figure seated in austerity amid drifting ash-smoke and fine particles, seasons passing in a ring of changing foliage; the present moment glows as ‘time of fruition’ arrives.

Characters & Entities

• Andhaka
• Vidyā
• Kaṇadhūma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Austerity and discipline are believed to yield results in their proper time; spiritual power is linked to sustained tapas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the overarching sacred setting of the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, but this verse focuses on tapas and vidyā rather than a named tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No public rite; it references severe austerity (enduring ‘kaṇadhūma’) as the means of acquiring vidyā.