Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

निवसञ्जगदीश्वरो हरः कृशरजनीश कलामनोहरः । लभते स्म न शर्म शंकरः प्रसरत्काशिवियोगज ज्वरः

Transliteration

nivasañjagadīśvaro haraḥ kṛśarajanīśa kalāmanoharaḥ | labhate sma na śarma śaṃkaraḥ prasaratkāśiviyogaja jvaraḥ

Translation

Though dwelling there, Hara—the Lord of the universe, made all the more lovely by the pale crescent of the night-lord (the moon)—Śaṅkara found no peace, for the fever born of separation from Kāśī kept spreading within him.

Word by Word

• निवसन्: dwelling
• निवसन्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नि + वस् (धातु) → निवसत् (शतृ-कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; शतृ (present active participle)

• जगत्-ईश्वरः: Lord of the world
• जगत्-ईश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (जगतः ईश्वरः)

• हरः: Hara (Śiva)
• हरः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• कृश-रजनी-ईश-कलामनोहरः: charming with the thin crescent-moon digit
• कृश-रजनी-ईश-कलामनोहरः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृश (प्रातिपदिक) + रजनी (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश (प्रातिपदिक) + कला (प्रातिपदिक) + मनोहर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (कृशा या रजनीशकलाः तया मनोहरः)

• लभते: obtains/gets
• लभते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present/वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• स्म: indeed/then (in past narration)
• स्म: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्म (अव्यय)
• Form: भूतार्थक/स्मरणार्थक निपात (particle indicating past narration)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation)

• शर्म: comfort/peace
• शर्म: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (कर्मरूपे)

• शंकरः: Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• शंकरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शंकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• प्रसरत्-काशि-वियोग-जः: arising from separation from Kāśī and spreading
• प्रसरत्-काशि-वियोग-जः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र + सृ (धातु) → प्रसरत् (शतृ-कृदन्त) + काशि (प्रातिपदिक) + वियोग (प्रातिपदिक) + ज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; जः = 'born from'; तत्पुरुषः (काशिवियोगात् जातः)

• ज्वरः: fever/torment
• ज्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva (Hara/Śaṅkara) in a radiant palace, crescent moon on his matted locks, yet his face shows restlessness; a subtle aura of ‘fever’ or heat waves rises, while a distant vision of Kāśī’s ghāṭas/temples appears like a longing mirage.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Śiva (Hara, Śaṅkara)
• Kāśī
• Moon (rajanīśa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s sanctity is so supreme that even Śiva’s heart longs for it, teaching the unmatched spiritual magnetism of the holy city.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) itself is glorified as the beloved, incomparable sacred abode.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is theological-poetic praise of Kāśī through Śiva’s longing.