Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

अथ सर्वज्ञनाथेन भक्तवत्सलचेतसा । जैगीषव्यो मुनिश्रेष्ठो गुहां तस्थो निरीक्षितः

Transliteration

atha sarvajñanāthena bhaktavatsalacetasā | jaigīṣavyo muniśreṣṭho guhāṃ tastho nirīkṣitaḥ

Translation

তখন সর্বজ্ঞ নাথ, যাঁর চিত্ত ভক্তদের প্রতি স্নেহময়, গুহায় অবস্থানরত মুনিশ্রেষ্ঠ জৈগীষব্যকে লক্ষ্য করলেন।

Word by Word

• atha: then/now
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse connector/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/आरम्भसूचक निपात

• sarvajña-nāthena: by the omniscient lord
• sarvajña-nāthena: Karana/Agent-in-instrumental (By/with; doer expressed in instr./करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarvajña (प्रातिपदिक) + nātha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (sarvajñaḥ nāthaḥ)

• bhakta-vatsala-cetasā: with a mind affectionate to devotees
• bhakta-vatsala-cetasā: Karana (Accompaniment/Instrumental qualifier/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhakta (प्रातिपदिक) + vatsala (प्रातिपदिक) + cetas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (cetas-शब्दः), तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (bhakteṣu vatsalaṃ cetas yasya)

• jaigīṣavyaḥ: Jaigīṣavya
• jaigīṣavyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jaigīṣavya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• muni-śreṣṭhaḥ: best of sages
• muni-śreṣṭhaḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक) + śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (munīnām śreṣṭhaḥ)

• guhām: the cave
• guhām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• tasthaḥ: stood/remained
• tasthaḥ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sthā (धातु) → tastha (कृदन्त/लिट्-रूप)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; रूपम् ‘tasthau’ अपेक्षितं, पाठे ‘tasthaḥ’ (प्रथमा-एकवचन-रूपेण) स्थातृभावः सूचितः

• nirīkṣitaḥ: having been looked at/observed
• nirīkṣitaḥ: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nir-√īkṣ (धातु) → nirīkṣita (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying jaigīṣavyaḥ)

Speaker

Skanda (narrator, contextual)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jaigīṣavya-guhā (within Kāśī narrative ambit)

Type: cave

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A tranquil cave mouth shaded by trees; inside sits Jaigīṣavya in meditation. At the entrance, the all-knowing Lord (Rudra/Śiva) pauses, his gaze tender, acknowledging the sage; attendants remain reverent and quiet.

Characters & Entities

• Jaigīṣavya
• Lord (Śiva, implied as sarvajña and bhaktavatsala)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Austerity and inner devotion do not go unseen; the Lord who cherishes devotees notices the sincere ascetic.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sets a narrative scene (a cave-dwelling sage) within the Kāśī Khaṇḍa’s sacred geography, though no single tīrtha-name is stated here.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse introduces the tapas-centered episode of Jaigīṣavya.