Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

ज्येष्ठस्थाने महापुण्ये देवदेवस्य वल्लभे । आश्चर्यं किमभूत्तत्र तदाचक्ष्व षडानन

Transliteration

jyeṣṭhasthāne mahāpuṇye devadevasya vallabhe | āścaryaṃ kimabhūttatra tadācakṣva ṣaḍānana

Translation

«À Jyeṣṭhasthāna, d’un mérite très grand et cher au Dieu des dieux, quel prodige advint là ? Ô Ṣaḍānana, décris-le-moi.»

Word by Word

• ज्येष्ठस्थाने: in the foremost place
• ज्येष्ठस्थाने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्येष्ठ + स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (‘in the chief/eldest place’), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• महापुण्ये: most sacred
• महापुण्ये: Adhikarana (Location-qualifier/अधिकरणविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा + पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (‘very holy’), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; विशेषण of ज्येष्ठस्थाने

• देवदेवस्य: of the God of gods
• देवदेवस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (‘god of gods’), पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• वल्लभे: beloved (to him)
• वल्लभे: Adhikarana (Location-qualifier/अधिकरणविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वल्लभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; ‘in/at the beloved (place)’; agrees with ज्येष्ठस्थाने

• आश्चर्यम्: wonder/miracle
• आश्चर्यम्: Karma (Interrogative predicate/प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आश्चर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (here: predicate/‘what wonder?’)

• किम्: what
• किम्: Sambandha (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् प्रश्न-शब्द — ‘what?’

• अभूत्: happened/was
• अभूत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/past), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb of place) — ‘there’

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; refers to the event/wonder

• आचक्ष्व: tell/describe
• आचक्ष्व: Kriya (Command/आज्ञा)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + चक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• षडानन: O Six-faced one
• षडानन: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: षड् + आनन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्विगु-समास (‘six-faced’), पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

Speaker

Agastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jyeṣṭhasthāna

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Skanda (Ṣaḍānana)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Agastya presses for details about Jyeṣṭhasthāna—its great merit, its dear-ness to Devadeva, and the specific wonder that occurred there.

Characters & Entities

• Agastya
• Skanda (Ṣaḍānana)
• Śiva (Devadeva)
• Jyeṣṭhasthāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places in Kāśī are not merely geography; they are ‘beloved’ to Śiva and bear wondrous events that reveal dharma and divine presence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Jyeṣṭhasthāna in Kāśī, introduced as mahāpuṇya and especially dear to Śiva.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None stated in this verse; it sets up the forthcoming explanation of the site’s marvel and associated practices.