Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

मंदरादागतः शंभुश्चैत्रे दमनपर्वणि । प्राप्याप्यानंदगहनमितश्चेतश्चचार ह

Transliteration

maṃdarādāgataḥ śaṃbhuścaitre damanaparvaṇi | prāpyāpyānaṃdagahanamitaścetaścacāra ha

Translation

Śambhu vint de Mandara ; et, au mois de Caitra, le jour de la fête de Damanaka, ayant atteint un bosquet dense de béatitude, il erra çà et là selon son gré.

Word by Word

• मन्दरात्: from Mandara (mountain)
• मन्दरात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्दर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• आगतः: having come, arrived
• आगतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ-गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (Past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (शम्भुः)

• शम्भुः: Śambhu (Śiva)
• शम्भुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शम्भु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• चैत्रे: in (the month of) Caitra
• चैत्रे: Adhikarana (Location/Time अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चैत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; मासवाचक

• दमनपर्वणि: on the Damanaparvan (festival day)
• दमनपर्वणि: Adhikarana (Location/Time अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दमन-पर्वन् (प्रातिपदिक: दमन + पर्वन्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; कालवाचक

• प्राप्य: having reached
• प्राप्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), अव्ययभाव

• अपि: also, even
• अपि: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपातार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• आनन्दगहनम्: the dense (place of) bliss
• आनन्दगहनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आनन्द-गहन (प्रातिपदिक: आनन्द + गहन)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्म (प्राप्य)

• इतश्: from here, thence
• इतश्: Desha/Direction (देश/दिशा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इतस् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• चेतः: mind
• चेतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चेतस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• चार: wandered, moved about
• चार: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: चर् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ह: indeed
• ह: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपातार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ह (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

Speaker

Skanda (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ānanda-gahana (grove of bliss) in Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahāprājña rishi (unnamed here)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śambhu arrives from Mandara and, on a Caitra Damanaka festival day, enters a thick blissful grove and strolls freely, as if tasting the kṣetra’s joy.

Characters & Entities

• Śambhu (Śiva)
• Mandara
• Caitra
• Damanaparvan

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Time (festival days) and place (blissful sacred groves) become sanctified through Śiva’s presence, making sacred geography experiential.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse points to a blissful sacred locale within the Kāśī narrative, but does not explicitly name a tirtha; Mandara is named as the point of origin.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Observance context is given (Damanaparvan in Caitra), but no specific rite is detailed in this verse.