Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 71

Devanagari script

अथ तिष्ठंतु कठिनाः प्राणाः कंठाटवीतटे । तपस्यंतोतिसंतप्तास्तपसे त्वयि यास्यति

Transliteration

atha tiṣṭhaṃtu kaṭhināḥ prāṇāḥ kaṃṭhāṭavītaṭe | tapasyaṃtotisaṃtaptāstapase tvayi yāsyati

Translation

ถ้าเช่นนั้น ขอให้ลมหายใจอันแข็งกร้าวของข้าพักอยู่ ณ ฝั่งพงไพรแห่งลำคอ; ถูกเผาด้วยไฟตบะอันร้อนแรง แล้วจักไปกับเจ้า สู่ตบะของเจ้า

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरवाचक-अव्यय (then/now)

• तिष्ठन्तु: let (them) remain
• तिष्ठन्तु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• कठिनाः: hard; stubborn
• कठिनाः: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कठिन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• प्राणाः: life-breaths
• प्राणाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/nominative), बहुवचन

• कण्ठाटवीतटे: on the bank/edge of the throat-forest
• कण्ठाटवीतटे: Adhikarana (Place/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कण्ठ (प्रातिपदिक) + अटवी (प्रातिपदिक) + तट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/locative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (कण्ठ-आटवी-तटः)

• तपस्यमानाः: doing austerity
• तपस्यमानाः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक) + य (धातु: य/यत्?; denom. tapasyati)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; धातु-प्रयोगः: तपस्यति (to do tapas)

• अति: excessively
• अति: Kriya-visheshana (Intensifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अति (अव्यय/उपसर्ग)
• Form: उपसर्ग/अव्यय (intensifier: very/excessively)

• सन्तप्ताः: tormented; scorched
• सन्तप्ताः: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + तप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• तपसे: for austerity
• तपसे: Sampradana (Dative/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/dative), एकवचन

• त्वयि: in you; with you
• त्वयि: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी (7th/locative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• यास्यति: will go
• यास्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple future), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

Speaker

Sunīti (contextual attribution), within Skanda’s narration to Agastya (contextual attribution)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The mother stands composed, eyes burning with restrained tears; behind her, a symbolic dark ‘throat-forest’ motif (shadowed trees) at the neck/throat region, while Dhruva walks toward a bright ascetic path—suggesting prāṇas staying at the throat-bank yet joining his tapas in spirit.

Characters & Entities

• Sunīti
• Dhruva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tapas is portrayed as a consuming fire that transforms the practitioner and even those emotionally bound to him; blessing and suffering coexist in dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse does not name a tīrtha; it is part of the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s broader sacred narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; the verse alludes generally to tapas (austerity).