Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 33
असौ हि भगवानीशः स्वयंज्योतिः सनातनः । आनंदरूपा तस्यैषा शक्तिर्नागंतुकी शिवा
asau hi bhagavānīśaḥ svayaṃjyotiḥ sanātanaḥ | ānaṃdarūpā tasyaiṣā śaktirnāgaṃtukī śivā
„Denn dieser selige Herr ist der ewige Īśa, aus sich selbst leuchtend. Seine Śivā—Seine Kraft—ist ihrem Wesen nach Wonne und nichts Hinzugekommenes oder neu Erworbenes.“
Praṇava (continuing teaching)
Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: the two questioners
Scene: A luminous, self-effulgent presence is emphasized—Śiva as an inner sun—while Śivā-śakti is depicted as a gentle radiance of bliss surrounding him, indicating inseparability and eternality.
FAQs
Śiva is self-luminous and eternal; His Śakti is intrinsic and blissful—divinity is complete in itself, not dependent on anything added from outside.
The verse is theological within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa setting and does not specify a particular Kāśī tirtha.
None; it defines the nature of Īśa (Śiva) and His inherent Śakti.