Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 81

Devanagari script

इति निश्चित्य विन्ध्याद्रिर्ववृधे स मृधेक्षणः । अनंतगगनस्यांतं कुर्वद्भिः शिखरैरिव

Transliteration

iti niścitya vindhyādrirvavṛdhe sa mṛdhekṣaṇaḥ | anaṃtagaganasyāṃtaṃ kurvadbhiḥ śikharairiva

Translation

既作此决，面目森严之温陀山便开始增长，仿佛以诸峰欲为无边苍穹画下尽头。

Word by Word

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Discourse marker/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उक्त्यर्थक/इत्यादि-निपात) — Quotative particle

• निश्चित्य: having decided
• निश्चित्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि + चि (धातु) + क्त्वा (ल्यप्)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययभाव (Gerund), ‘having ascertained/decided’ — Indeclinable gerund

• विन्ध्याद्रिः: the Vindhya mountain
• विन्ध्याद्रिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विन्ध्य (प्रातिपदिक) + अद्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular; समासः: विन्ध्यः अद्रिः (कर्मधारय)

• ववृधे: grew / increased
• ववृधे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृध् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद — Perfect, 3rd person, Singular, Atmanepada

• सः: he (that one)
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• मृध: battle
• मृध: Compound-member
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासाङ्ग (पूर्वपद) — compound member ‘battle/contest’

• ईक्षणः: one with a warlike gaze
• ईक्षणः: Karta (Subject-apposition/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईक्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular; समासः: मृधे ईक्षणम् यस्य (सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष/उपपद) → ‘one whose gaze is in battle’

• अनन्त: endless
• अनन्त: Compound-member
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासाङ्ग (पूर्वपद) — compound member ‘endless’

• गगनस्य: of the endless sky
• गगनस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गगन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Genitive, Singular; समासः: अनन्तं गगनम् (कर्मधारय)

• अन्तम्: end / limit
• अन्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• कुर्वद्भिः: by (those) making / doing
• कुर्वद्भिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) + शतृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकालिक कर्तरि शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Present active participle), तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Instrumental Plural (Masc./Neut.)

• शिखरैः: with peaks
• शिखरैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिखर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• इव: as if / like
• इव: Upamana-marker (Simile/उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उपमा) — Particle of comparison

Speaker

Narrative voice (contextual; within Kāśīkhaṇḍa often Skanda’s discourse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vindhya (as kṣetra-region, implied)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vindhya, personified as a stern mountain-king, swells upward; successive peaks rise like spears, pressing toward the limitless sky, dark clouds gathering around the summits.

Characters & Entities

• Vindhya
• Gagana (sky)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Unchecked pride inflates beyond measure and disrupts harmony—here symbolized by Vindhya’s unnatural growth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is directly praised in this verse; it sets mythic background within the Kāśī-khaṇḍa’s sacred narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is descriptive, advancing the mythic storyline.