Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

स्कंद उवाच । पतिव्रतापते ऽगस्त्य शृणु वक्ष्याम्यशेषतः । मृगांकलक्ष्मणोत्कंठं काशी नेत्रातिथीकृता

Transliteration

skaṃda uvāca | pativratāpate 'gastya śṛṇu vakṣyāmyaśeṣataḥ | mṛgāṃkalakṣmaṇotkaṃṭhaṃ kāśī netrātithīkṛtā

Translation

Skanda sprach: O Agastya, Herr der standhaft Treuen, höre — ich werde es vollständig darlegen. Kāśī, den Augen zum Gast geworden, erweckte Sehnsucht selbst in Ihm, der den Mond als Zeichen trägt (Śiva).

Word by Word

• skandaḥ: Skanda
• skandaḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: skanda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• pativrata-āpate: O lord of the chaste wife
• pativrata-āpate: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pativratā (प्रातिपदिक) + pati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (pativratāyāḥ patiḥ)

• agastya: O Agastya
• agastya: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: agastya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• śṛṇu: listen
• śṛṇu: Kriya (Command/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śru (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• vakṣyāmi: I will tell
• vakṣyāmi: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• aśeṣataḥ: completely/without remainder
• aśeṣataḥ: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: aśeṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + tas (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of manner)

• mṛgāṅka-lakṣmaṇa-utkaṇṭham: (that) yearning marked by the moon
• mṛgāṅka-lakṣmaṇa-utkaṇṭham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mṛgāṅka (प्रातिपदिक) + lakṣmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + utkaṇṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (mṛgāṅkasya lakṣmaṇā utkaṇṭham = ‘yearning marked by the moon’)

• kāśī: Kāśī
• kāśī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• netra-atithi-kṛtā: made (it) a guest of the eyes
• netra-atithi-kṛtā: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: netra (प्रातिपदिक) + atithi (प्रातिपदिक) + √kṛ (धातु) → kṛta (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (netrāṇām atithiḥ kṛtā = ‘made a guest of the eyes’)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Skanda addresses Agastya with compassionate authority; behind them, Kāśī appears as a radiant city; a subtle image of moon-crested Śiva gazes toward Kāśī with affectionate yearning, while the city is personified as offering itself to the eyes like a revered guest.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Agastya
• Kāśī
• Śiva (Mṛgāṅka-lakṣmaṇa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s sanctity is so exalted that it draws even Śiva’s attention and longing—signaling the city’s supreme spiritual magnetism.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), praised as an incomparable darśana that delights the eyes and uplifts the heart.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed here; Skanda announces a complete narration of the ensuing sacred account.