Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 66

Devanagari script

क्व सा बालातिमृद्वंगी क्व च तत्तादृशं तपः । कठोरवर्ष्मसंसाध्यमहो सच्चेतसो धृतिः

Transliteration

kva sā bālātimṛdvaṃgī kva ca tattādṛśaṃ tapaḥ | kaṭhoravarṣmasaṃsādhyamaho saccetaso dhṛtiḥ

Translation

ไหนเลยเด็กสาวผู้บอบบางอ่อนละมุน และไหนเลยตบะเช่นนั้นจะคู่กันได้? การปฏิบัตินี้เหมาะแก่กายที่แข็งแกร่งจากความเคร่งครัด; น่าอัศจรรย์ยิ่งนักคือความมั่นคงแห่งปณิธานอันบริสุทธิ์ของนาง

Word by Word

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

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• बाल-अति-मृदु-अङ्गी: she whose limbs are very tender like a child
• बाल-अति-मृदु-अङ्गी: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बाल (प्रातिपदिक) + अति (अव्यय/उपसर्गार्थ) + मृदु (प्रातिपदिक) + अङ्गी (अङ्गिन्/अङ्गी प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (यस्या अङ्गानि बालानि अतिमृदूनि सा)

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

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

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; निर्देशक (demonstrative)

• तादृशम्: such
• तादृशम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तादृश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तपः: austerity
• तपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कठोर-वर्ष्म-संसाध्यम्: achievable only with a hard body
• कठोर-वर्ष्म-संसाध्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कठोर (प्रातिपदिक) + वर्ष्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + संसाध्य (साध् धातु-ल्यप्/ण्यत्, कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (कठोरेण वर्ष्मणा संसाध्यम्)

• अहो: ah!
• अहो: Sambandha (Exclamation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अहो (अव्यय)
• Form: विस्मयार्थक-अव्यय (exclamation/particle)

• सत्-चेतसः: of the pure-minded (one)
• सत्-चेतसः: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सत् (प्रातिपदिक) + चेतस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (सत् चेतः यस्य)

• धृतिः: steadfastness
• धृतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धृति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (tapo-vana within Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The narrator marvels at the contrast: a delicate young girl undertaking severe austerity; the composition emphasizes her slender form and unshaken gaze, surrounded by the austere landscape of a sacred grove.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Kṣetra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True spiritual strength arises from dhṛti—steadfast purity of intention—more than from physical toughness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader Kāśī Kṣetra context continues; the verse praises tapas undertaken within that sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse highlights the rarity and intensity of such tapas, especially for one so young and delicate.