Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

व्यभ्रेह्नि वारिपूर्णास्यः पृष्ठीकृत्य दिवाकरम् । फूत्कृत्याश्विंद्रचापं न पश्येत्षण्मासजीवितः

Transliteration

vyabhrehni vāripūrṇāsyaḥ pṛṣṭhīkṛtya divākaram | phūtkṛtyāśviṃdracāpaṃ na paśyetṣaṇmāsajīvitaḥ

Translation

在无云之日，若口含满水，背向太阳，吹喷之后仍不见虹霓，则此人被说仅余六个月之寿。

Word by Word

• वि-अभ्रे: in a cloudless (sky)
• वि-अभ्रे: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + अभ्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; ‘अभ्रे’ इति पदे ‘वि’ उपसर्गवत् अव्ययप्रयोगः (अर्थः: मेघरहिते)

• अह्नि: in the daytime
• अह्नि: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• वारि-पूर्ण-आस्यः: with mouth filled with water
• वारि-पूर्ण-आस्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वारि (प्रातिपदिक) + पूर्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + आस्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (अध्याहृतः ‘जनः’)

• पृष्ठी-कृत्य: having turned (one's back)
• पृष्ठी-कृत्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पृष्ठी (प्रातिपदिक) + कृ (धातु) → कृत्वा (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund); पूर्वक्रिया

• दिवाकरम्: the Sun
• दिवाकरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिवाकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• फूत्-कृत्य: having made a ‘phūt’ sound (spitting/blowing)
• फूत्-कृत्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: फूत् (अनुकरण/अव्यय) + कृ (धातु) → कृत्वा (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive); अनुकरणपूर्वक-क्रिया

• अश्वि-इन्द्र-चापम्: the rainbow
• अश्वि-इन्द्र-चापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्विन् (प्रातिपदिक) + इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक) + चाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (अश्विनोः/अश्विनौ सम्बन्धः)

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• पश्येत्: should see
• पश्येत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• षण्मास-जीवितः: one whose life is (only) six months
• षण्मास-जीवितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षण्मास (प्रातिपदिक) + जीवित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि (यस्य जीवितं षण्मासपर्यन्तम्)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (ariṣṭa test with indra-cāpa)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On a bright cloudless day at a Kāśī ghat, a person stands with back to the blazing Sun, mouth filled with water, spraying it into the air; the expected rainbow fails to appear, leaving an empty arc in the sky—an ominous negative sign.

Characters & Entities

• Divākara (Sūrya)
• Indra (Indracāpa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even ordinary sights become spiritual indicators; the wise use them to awaken renunciation and devotion without delay.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching is embedded in Kāśī Khaṇḍa; it supports the broader Kāśī message of preparing for liberation.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A described observational test involving water in the mouth, turning from the Sun, and attempting to see the rainbow; it is presented as an omen rather than a merit-rite.