Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

सन्निधावुत्तरार्कस्य तपस्यतीं सुलक्षणाम् । स्थाणुवन्निश्चलां स्थाणुरद्राक्षीत्तपसा कृशाम्

Transliteration

sannidhāvuttarārkasya tapasyatīṃ sulakṣaṇām | sthāṇuvanniścalāṃ sthāṇuradrākṣīttapasā kṛśām

Translation

ใกล้เทวะอุตตรารกะ พระสถาณุทอดพระเนตรสตรีผู้มีลักษณะงามนั้นกำลังบำเพ็ญตบะ—นิ่งดุจเสา และผ่ายผอมด้วยตบะ

Word by Word

• सन्निधौ: in the presence, near
• सन्निधौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सन्निधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; ‘in the presence/near’

• उत्तरार्कस्य: of Uttarārka
• उत्तरार्कस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उत्तरार्क (प्रातिपदिक: उत्तर + अर्क)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘of Uttarārka’

• तपस्यतीम्: performing austerity
• तपस्यतीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तपस्य (धातु/नामधातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकालिक-शतृ (present participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्म (अद्राक्षीत्)

• सुलक्षणाम्: well-marked, auspicious-looking
• सुलक्षणाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु + लक्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (तपस्यतीम्)

• स्थाणुवत्: like a pillar
• स्थाणुवत्: Kriya-viseshana (Comparison/उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्थाणु + वत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: वत्-प्रत्ययान्त उपमानवाचक-अव्यय (indeclinable of comparison)

• निश्चलाम्: motionless
• निश्चलाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निश्चल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (तपस्यतीम्)

• स्थाणुः: Sthāṇu (Śiva)
• स्थाणुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थाणु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्ता (शिवः)

• अद्राक्षीत्: saw
• अद्राक्षीत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (aorist), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; ‘saw’

• तपसा: by austerity
• तपसा: Karana/Hetu (Instrument/Cause/करण-हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/हेतु), एकवचन; cause/means

• कृशाम्: emaciated, thin
• कृशाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (तपस्यतीम्)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Uttarārka

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Shiva (Sthāṇu), radiant and calm, observes a lean tapasvinī standing motionless like a pillar near the Uttarārka shrine; the visual rhyme of ‘immovable Lord’ and ‘immovable devotee’ dominates the scene.

Characters & Entities

• Uttarārka
• Sthāṇu (Śiva)
• Sulakṣaṇā (epithet of the woman)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Unmoving perseverance in dharma and tapas becomes worthy of direct divine regard (darśana).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Uttarārka vicinity in Kāśī is foregrounded as the place where Śiva grants attention to a tapasvinī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, steadfast tapas and stillness (niścalatā) are upheld as the discipline.