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

Darauf wurde der erhabenste der Weisen, Jaigīṣavya, der in einer Höhle verweilte, vom allwissenden Herrn bemerkt, dessen Herz den Verehrern in Liebe zugewandt ist.

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.