Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

अतिचित्रमिदं यदात्मना शुचिरप्येष कृपीटयोनिना । स्वपुरीविरहोद्भवेन वै परिताप्येत जगत्त्रयेश्वरः

Transliteration

aticitramidaṃ yadātmanā śucirapyeṣa kṛpīṭayoninā | svapurīvirahodbhavena vai paritāpyeta jagattrayeśvaraḥ

Translation

Wie überaus wunderlich ist dies: Obwohl er in sich selbst rein ist, wird dieser Herr—aus dem Feuer (kṛpīṭa) geboren—der Lenker der drei Welten, wahrhaft gequält von dem Schmerz, der aus der Trennung von seiner eigenen Stadt (Kāśī) entsteht.

Word by Word

• ati-citram: very strange
• ati-citram: Karta (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ati (अव्यय) + citra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः “अति चित्रम्”

• idam: this
• idam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• yad: that (namely)
• yad: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (यत्-सम्बन्धे “that/namely”)

• ātmanā: by himself
• ātmanā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन

• śuciḥ: pure
• śuciḥ: Karta (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śuci (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (to eṣaḥ)

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

• eṣaḥ: this one (Śiva)
• eṣaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• kṛpīṭa-yoninā: by a source of fire (fire-womb)
• kṛpīṭa-yoninā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛpīṭa (प्रातिपदिक) + yoni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग ‘yoni’ (instrumental), तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः “कृपीटस्य योनिः”

• sva-purī-viraha-udbhavena: by the arising from separation from his own city
• sva-purī-viraha-udbhavena: Karana (Cause/हेतु-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + purī (प्रातिपदिक) + viraha (प्रातिपदिक) + udbhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः “स्वपुरी-विरहात् उद्भवः”

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (निपात)
• Form: निपात (emphasis/indeed)

• paritāpyeta: should be tormented/is tormented
• paritāpyeta: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari-√tap (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative/सम्भावना), आत्मनेपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि-भावः (passive sense)

• jagat-traya-īśvaraḥ: the Lord of the three worlds
• jagat-traya-īśvaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat (प्रातिपदिक) + traya (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः “जगतां त्रयस्य ईश्वरः”

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Śiva-purī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A contemplative tableau: the three-world Lord, radiant and pure, is nevertheless shown with a subtle expression of burning anguish—caused solely by separation from Kāśī; the paradox is the focal point.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Jagattrayeśvara)
• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s sanctity is so extraordinary that even the perfectly pure Lord is poetically shown as pained without it—affirming Kāśī as Śiva’s dearest abode.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī, explicitly called “his own city” (svapurī) of the Lord.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is doctrinal praise emphasizing Kāśī’s unique status.