Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

महतो विरहस्य शंकरः प्रसभंतस्यवशी वशंगतः । विविदेन सुरैः सदोगतैरपि संवीतसुतापवेष्टितः

Transliteration

mahato virahasya śaṃkaraḥ prasabhaṃtasyavaśī vaśaṃgataḥ | vividena suraiḥ sadogatairapi saṃvītasutāpaveṣṭitaḥ

Translation

Śaṅkara, obgleich der Herr, wurde gewaltsam unter die Macht jener großen Trennung gebracht; und obwohl ihn die Götter auf vielerlei Weise umgaben, blieb er in heftige innere Qual gehüllt.

Word by Word

• mahataḥ: of great
• mahataḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (to virahasya)

• virahasya: of separation
• virahasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viraha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• śaṃkaraḥ: Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• śaṃkaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṃkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• prasabham: forcibly
• prasabham: Prakāra (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prasabham (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (forcibly/violently)

• tasya: of it/of that
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• avaśī: helpless/not in control
• avaśī: Karta (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: avaśin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (to śaṃkaraḥ)

• vaśaṃ-gataḥ: come under control (of it)
• vaśaṃ-gataḥ: Karta (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vaśa (प्रातिपदिक) + gata (कृदन्त/क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः “वशं गतः”

• vivide: found/experienced
• vivide: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-√vid (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect/परोक्षभूत), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (निषेध-अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation particle)

• suraiḥ: by/with the gods
• suraiḥ: Sahakārī (Association/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/सह), बहुवचन

• sadā: always
• sadā: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (always)

• ogataiḥ: ever-attending/ever-going (uncertain)
• ogataiḥ: Sahakārī (Qualifier/सह-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ogata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (to suraiḥ); पाठभेद/दुर्लभ-रूप (uncertain)

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (निपात)
• Form: निपात (even/also)

• saṃvīta-sutāpa-veṣṭitaḥ: wrapped/covered with intense heat (torment)
• saṃvīta-sutāpa-veṣṭitaḥ: Karta (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saṃvīta (कृदन्त/क्त) + su-tāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + veṣṭita (कृदन्त/क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (श्रृङ्खला) “सुतापेन वेष्टितः, संवीतः”

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta-Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śaṅkara, though surrounded by gods, sits withdrawn, wrapped in an invisible sheath of inner heat—his mastery paradoxically subdued by the force of separation from Kāśī.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Śaṅkara)
• Devas
• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The verse magnifies Kāśī’s greatness by depicting even Śiva as “overpowered” by longing for it, teaching the unparalleled spiritual magnetism of the holy city.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), implied as the object of Śiva’s overwhelming separation.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the emphasis is devotional-poetic praise (māhātmya) rather than instruction.