Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

रुदन्स उत्तानशयो ब्रह्मणो मुखमैक्षत । ततो ब्रह्मापि तं बालं रुदंतं प्रविलोक्य च

Transliteration

rudansa uttānaśayo brahmaṇo mukhamaikṣata | tato brahmāpi taṃ bālaṃ rudaṃtaṃ pravilokya ca

Translation

Weinend lag das Kind auf dem Rücken und blickte Brahmā ins Gesicht. Da schaute auch Brahmā, als er den weinenden Knaben sah, aufmerksam auf ihn.

Word by Word

• रुदन्: crying
• रुदन्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √रुद् (धातु) शतृ (वर्तमान कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; present participle used adjectivally

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1/कर्ता), एकवचन; pronoun

• उत्तानशयः: lying on his back
• उत्तानशयः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तान + शय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; ‘lying on the back’ (uttāna-śayaḥ)

• ब्रह्मणः: of Brahmā
• ब्रह्मणः: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; genitive

• मुखम्: face
• मुखम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2/कर्म), एकवचन; accusative

• ऐक्षत: looked at
• ऐक्षत: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ईक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; he looked

• ततः: then
• ततः: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय; तद्-प्रातिपदिकात्)
• Form: अव्यय, अव्यय-प्रयोग (adverb); ‘then/from there’

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā
• ब्रह्मा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1/कर्ता), एकवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अपि-कार (particle ‘also/even’)

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2/कर्म), एकवचन

• बालम्: the child
• बालम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2/कर्म), एकवचन; apposition to तम्

• रुदन्तम्: crying
• रुदन्तम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √रुद् (धातु) शतृ (वर्तमान कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; present participle qualifying बालम्

• प्रविलोक्य: having observed
• प्रविलोक्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वि + √लोक् (धातु) + क्त्वा (ल्यप्)
• Form: ल्यप्/क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive); having looked at

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

Speaker

Narrator (Skanda Purāṇa narrative voice within Skanda–Agastya dialogue context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya (dialogue frame continues)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A divine infant lies supine, crying, eyes turned toward Brahmā’s face; Brahmā leans forward, concerned, the cosmos hushed around them.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Infant Rudra (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even the Supreme can adopt childlike līlā, drawing the creator’s attention and setting the stage for revelation through intimate, human-like emotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kāśīkhaṇḍa context centers Kāśī’s sacred narrative world, but this verse is mythic-cosmic rather than tīrtha-specific.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None is stated here.