Shloka 1

Devanagari script

काष्ठीलोवाच । एवं सा राक्षसी सुभ्रु हस्तिनीरूपधारिणी । त्रिभिर्मुहूर्तैः संप्राप्ता काशीं विश्वेशमंदिरम् ॥ १ ॥

Transliteration

kāṣṭhīlovāca | evaṃ sā rākṣasī subhru hastinīrūpadhāriṇī | tribhirmuhūrtaiḥ saṃprāptā kāśīṃ viśveśamaṃdiram || 1 ||

Translation

ກາຊະຖີລາ ກ່າວວ່າ: ດັ່ງນັ້ນ ນາງຣາກຊະສີຜູ້ມີຄິ້ວງາມ ຜູ້ຖືຮູບຊ້າງເພດຍິງ ໄດ້ໄປຮອດກາຊີ—ພຣະວິຫານວິສເວຊະ—ໃນເວລາສາມມຸຫູຣຕະ.

Word by Word

• kāṣṭhīlaḥ: Kāṣṭhīla
• kāṣṭhīlaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāṣṭhīla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; speaker tag

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• evam: thus
• evam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; manner adverb = 'thus/in this way'

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• rākṣasī: the demoness
• rākṣasī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rākṣasī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• subhru: O fair-browed one
• subhru: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: su-bhrū (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय: 'सुन्दराः भ्रुवः यस्याः'; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• hastinī-rūpa-dhāriṇī: bearing the form of a female elephant
• hastinī-rūpa-dhāriṇī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hastinī (प्रातिपदिक) + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक) + dhāriṇī (प्रातिपदिक; from dhṛ)
• Form: बहुपद-तत्पुरुष: 'हस्तिन्याः रूपं धारयति या'; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• tribhiḥ: by/within three
• tribhiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; संख्या-विशेषण

• muhūrtaiḥ: muhūrtas (time-periods)
• muhūrtaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muhūrta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; time-measure

• saṃprāptā: arrived
• saṃprāptā: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-pra-āp (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'having arrived/arrived'

• kāśīm: Kāśī
• kāśīm: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• viśveśa-mandiram: the temple of Viśveśa
• viśveśa-mandiram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśveśa (प्रातिपदिक) + mandira (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष: 'विश्वेशस्य मन्दिरम्'; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

Speaker

Kāṣṭhīla

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Rasa: {"primary_rasa":"adbhuta","secondary_rasa":"bhakti","emotional_journey":"Astonishment at rapid arrival culminates in reverent focus as the destination is specified as Viśveśa’s temple."}

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Viśveśa (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in Narada Purana?

It frames Kāśī and the Viśveśa temple as the narrative’s sacred focal point, emphasizing the magnetic sanctity of the tīrtha where major karmic and spiritual turning points occur.

How does this verse explain the path of devotion (Bhakti)?

By directing the story toward Viśveśa in Kāśī, it highlights temple-centric devotion—approaching the deity’s abode as a concrete act of bhakti that shapes the unfolding of the episode.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

The verse uses the time-measure “muhūrta,” a calendrical/ritual timing concept aligned with Jyotiṣa (Vedāṅga), indicating precise traditional reckoning of time in sacred narratives.