Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

कुपितोपि हि मे रुद्रस्तेजोहानिं विधास्यति । काश्यां च लप्स्ये तत्तेजो यद्वै स्वात्मावबोधजम्

Transliteration

kupitopi hi me rudrastejohāniṃ vidhāsyati | kāśyāṃ ca lapsye tattejo yadvai svātmāvabodhajam

Translation

اگرچہ رودر مجھ پر غضبناک ہو کر میری ظاہری چمک دمک کو مٹا دے، پھر بھی کاشی میں میں وہ سچا نور پاؤں گا جو اپنے آتما کے ادراک سے جنم لیتا ہے۔

Word by Word

• कुपितः: angered
• कुपितः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कुप् (धातु) → कुपित (क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (रुद्रः)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha-bodhaka (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), ‘even/also’

• हि: indeed/for
• हि: Sambandha-bodhaka (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), हेत्वर्थ/निश्चयार्थ

• मे: my/of me
• मे: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; ‘of me/my’

• रुद्रः: Rudra (Śiva)
• रुद्रः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• तेजः-हानिम्: loss of radiance
• तेजः-हानिम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तेजस् + हानि (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समास: तेजसः हानिः (loss of splendor)

• विधास्यति: will bring about
• विधास्यति: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-धा (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (भविष्यत्/future), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• काश्याम्: in Kāśī
• काश्याम्: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन

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

• लप्स्ये: I shall obtain
• लप्स्ये: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (भविष्यत्/future), आत्मनेपद, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन

• तत्-तेजः: that radiance
• तत्-तेजः: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम) + तेजस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘that radiance’

• यत्: which
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative pronoun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धक ‘which’ (refers to तत्-तेजः)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha-bodhaka (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), निश्चयार्थ/खलु-अर्थ

• स्वात्मावबोधजम्: born of self-realization
• स्वात्मावबोधजम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व + आत्मन् + अवबोध + ज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (तेजः); समास (बहुपद-तत्पुरुष): स्वात्मनः अवबोधात् जतम् (born from realization of one’s own Self)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśī-khaṇḍa norm: Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mumukṣu-oriented audience in the frame dialogue

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee in Kāśī sits near a liṅga with eyes closed; his outer ornaments fade while a bright inner flame glows at the heart/forehead; Rudra appears stern in the sky yet the devotee’s inner light intensifies.

Characters & Entities

• Rudra (Śiva)
• Kāśī
• Svātma-avabodha (Self-realization)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly brilliance can be lost, but Kāśī grants the higher ‘tejas’ of Self-knowledge, which is the enduring spiritual attainment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is glorified as the place where the radiance born of Self-realization is attained.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated; the verse points to Kāśī as a jñāna-kṣetra where realization is the central attainment.