Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 70

Devanagari script

स्वभावकठिनात्मापि स वरं हिमवान्गिरिः । प्राणाधिक सुता दानाद्यो धिनोद्विश्वनायकम्

Transliteration

svabhāvakaṭhinātmāpi sa varaṃ himavāngiriḥ | prāṇādhika sutā dānādyo dhinodviśvanāyakam

Translation

แม้โดยสันดานจะมั่นคงแข็งกร้าวไม่ยอมอ่อน แต่หิมวาน—ขุนเขาอันประเสริฐ—กลับได้ความเป็นใหญ่ เพราะได้ถวายธิดาผู้เป็นที่รักยิ่งกว่าชีวิตให้สมรสกับผู้นำแห่งจักรวาล

Word by Word

• स्वभाव-कठिन-आत्मा: one whose nature is hard
• स्वभाव-कठिन-आत्मा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वभाव (प्रातिपदिक) + कठिन (प्रातिपदिक) + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—स्वभावेन कठिनः आत्मा यस्य (बहुपद-तत्पुरुषप्राय)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अप्यर्थ (even/also)

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

• वरम्: better
• वरम्: Avyaya (Adverbial/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोगः; क्रियाविशेषणार्थे (adverbial: ‘better’)

• हिमवान्: Himavān (the Himalaya)
• हिमवान्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हिमवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• गिरिः: mountain
• गिरिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गिरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; हिमवान्-गिरिः (apposition)

• प्राणाधिक: dearer than life
• प्राणाधिक: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्राण (प्रातिपदिक) + अधिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे विशेषणम् (qualifier of sutā); समासः—प्राणेभ्यः अधिका (तत्पुरुष)

• सुता: daughter
• सुता: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (contextually object of giving: द्वितीया)

• दानात्: from (the act of) giving
• दानात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे (as cause/source)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• अधिनोत्: gave/handed over
• अधिनोत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अधि+नी (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद; अर्थः—‘led/handed over’ (context: gave in marriage)

• विश्वनायकम्: the leader of the universe (Śiva)
• विश्वनायकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्व (प्रातिपदिक) + नायक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—विश्वस्य नायकः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

Speaker

Kārpaṭika

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājendra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Himavān, though naturally unyielding, gains superiority by giving his beloved daughter in marriage to Viśvanāyaka; evokes the divine wedding (Śiva-Pārvatī vivāha).

Characters & Entities

• Himavān
• Pārvatī (implied as prāṇādhika-sutā)
• Śiva (Viśvanāyaka)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Great merit arises from selfless offering; even a ‘hard’ nature becomes spiritually excellent through supreme dāna and devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The chapter’s setting is Kāśī; this verse supports Śiva’s supremacy (Viśvanāyaka/Viśveśvara) that undergirds Kāśī’s māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It alludes to dāna in the form of giving one’s daughter in marriage (kanyādāna), presented as a highly meritorious act.