Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

ज्वालाजटिलिताकाशं प्रभाभासित दिङ्मुखम् । किमाख्यं किं स्वरूपं च किं प्रभावं भवांतक

Transliteration

jvālājaṭilitākāśaṃ prabhābhāsita diṅmukham | kimākhyaṃ kiṃ svarūpaṃ ca kiṃ prabhāvaṃ bhavāṃtaka

Translation

Ses flammes semblent enlacer le ciel lui-même, et son éclat illumine les visages de toutes les directions. Comment se nomme-t-il, quelle est sa forme véritable, et quelle est sa puissance, ô Toi qui mets fin au devenir du monde ?

Word by Word

• jvālā-jaṭilita-ākāśam: (that which has) sky made tangled with flames
• jvālā-jaṭilita-ākāśam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jvālā (प्रातिपदिक) + jaṭilita (कृदन्त; √jaṭ/jaṭa? ‘to be matted/entangled’) + ākāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (विशेषण-विशेष्यभावः)

• prabhā-bhāsita: illumined by radiance
• prabhā-bhāsita: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prabhā (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāsita (कृदन्त; √bhās ‘to shine/illumine’)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त/भूतकर्मणि), विशेषण; (नपुंसक/पुं/स्त्री) एकवचनं सन्दर्भानुसारं; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (प्रभया भासितम्)

• diṅ-mukham: the faces/directions
• diṅ-mukham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: diś (प्रातिपदिक) + mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (दिशां मुखम् = direction-faces)

• kim-ākhyam: what is it called?
• kim-ākhyam: Prashna (Interrogative predicate/प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + ākhyā (प्रातिपदिक ‘name/epithet’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (किम् आख्यम् = what-named?)

• kim: what?
• kim: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक-सर्वनाम

• svarūpam: its form/nature
• svarūpam: Prashna (Interrogative predicate/प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svarūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• kim: what?
• kim: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• prabhāvam: power/effect
• prabhāvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhāva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• bhavāntaka: O destroyer of Bhava
• bhavāntaka: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhava (प्रातिपदिक) + antaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (भवस्य अन्तकः)

Speaker

Bhavānī (Pārvatī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A towering, flame-wreathed liṅga or pillar of light rises in Kāśī, its radiance washing over the ten directions as a devotee questions Śiva about its name, form, and power.

Characters & Entities

• Bhavānī (Pārvatī)
• Śiva (Bhavāntaka)
• Liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine presence is recognized by transforming light; knowing a tīrtha includes its name, form, and spiritual efficacy.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śaileśvara in Kāśī, characterized by a blazing, direction-illuminating radiance.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a theological inquiry preparing Śiva’s explanation.