Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 86

Devanagari script

कृतप्रणाममालिंग्य जिघ्रंस्तन्मुखपंकजम् । पुनर्जातमिवामंस्त पश्यंश्चापि मुहुर्मुहुः

Transliteration

kṛtapraṇāmamāliṃgya jighraṃstanmukhapaṃkajam | punarjātamivāmaṃsta paśyaṃścāpi muhurmuhuḥ

Translation

Après que l’enfant eut fait sa révérence, il l’étreignit et respira son visage semblable au lotus; le tenant pour comme renaissant, il le contemplait encore et encore.

Word by Word

• कृत-प्रणामम्: (the one) who had made obeisance
• कृत-प्रणामम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत (√कृ, क्त/कृदन्त) + प्रणाम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास: ‘कृतः प्रणामः येन/यत्’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• आलिङ्ग्य: having embraced
• आलिङ्ग्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + √लिङ्ग्/√लङ्ग् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Gerund/Absolutive): ‘having embraced’

• जिघ्रन्: smelling
• जिघ्रन्: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √घ्रा (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्यय (Present active participle): प्रथमा, एकवचन, पुंलिङ्ग (agreeing with subject)

• तत्: his/that
• तत्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-सम्बन्धे (genitival relation as first member), एकवचन; here as compound-member meaning ‘his/that’

• मुख-पंकजम्: the lotus-like face
• मुख-पंकजम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुख (प्रातिपदिक) + पंकज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास: ‘पंकजमिव मुखम्’/‘lotus-like face’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb): ‘again’

• जातम्: born
• जातम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जात (√जन्, क्त/कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा, एकवचन (here in simile with implied object)

• इव: as if; like
• इव: Upamana-marker (Simile/उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle of comparison)

• अमंस्त: thought; considered
• अमंस्त: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √मन् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• पश्यन्: seeing; looking
• पश्यन्: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √पश् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्यय (Present active participle): प्रथमा, एकवचन, पुंलिङ्ग

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction): समुच्चय

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle): ‘also/even’

• मुहुः: again and again
• मुहुः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मुहुः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb): ‘repeatedly’

• मुहुः: again and again
• मुहुः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मुहुः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb) पुनरुक्ति (reduplication for emphasis)

Speaker

Narrator (Skanda to Agastya, contextually)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta-kṣetra (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages (frame implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The elder embraces the child who has bowed; he smells the child’s lotus-face, overwhelmed, repeatedly gazing as if witnessing a second birth—an intimate devotional-human moment.

Characters & Entities

• Kardama
• Śiśu (child)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva’s grace can feel like a second birth, restoring life, relationships, and gratitude.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī, where the devotee experiences tangible restoration under Viśveśvara’s guardianship.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The child’s praṇāma (obeisance) is mentioned; it models reverence after receiving protection.