Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 78

Devanagari script

इत्थमाश्वास्य तां पत्नीं जगाम तपसे मुनिः । यत्र विश्वेश्वरः साक्षात्काशीनाथोधितिष्ठति

Transliteration

itthamāśvāsya tāṃ patnīṃ jagāma tapase muniḥ | yatra viśveśvaraḥ sākṣātkāśīnāthodhitiṣṭhati

Translation

ເມື່ອປອບໃຈພັນລະຍາແລ້ວ ພຣະມຸນີກໍອອກໄປບໍາເພັນຕະປະ—ໄປຍັງສະຖານທີ່ທີ່ພຣະວິສເວສະວະຣະ (Viśveśvara) ພຣະນາຖແຫ່ງກາສີ ປະທັບຢູ່ໂດຍປະຈັກ

Word by Word

• ittham: thus
• ittham: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ittham (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (adverb)

• āśvāsya: having consoled
• āśvāsya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Prior action/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√śvas (श्वस् धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) पररूप; ‘आश्वास्य’ = आश्वासं कृत्वा (having consoled)

• tām: her
• tām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• patnīm: wife
• patnīm: Karma (Apposition/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: patnī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• jagāma: went
• jagāma: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (गम् धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• tapase: for austerity
• tapase: Sampradāna (Purpose/recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन

• muniḥ: the sage
• muniḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikaraṇa (Relative location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सम्बन्धबोधक/देशवाचक (relative adverb: where)

• viśveśvaraḥ: Viśveśvara (Lord of the universe)
• viśveśvaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśva + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (विश्वस्य ईश्वरः)

• sākṣāt: in person
• sākṣāt: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sākṣāt (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रत्यक्षार्थक (directly, in person)

• kāśīnāthaḥ: Lord of Kāśī
• kāśīnāthaḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśī + nātha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (काश्याः नाथः)

• adhitiṣṭhati: presides, dwells
• adhitiṣṭhati: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: adhi-√sthā (स्था धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (third-person within Kāśīkhaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Viśveśvara (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Naimiṣāraṇya ṛṣis (frame assumed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The sage departs after consoling his wife, walking toward Kāśī’s sacred precincts; ahead rises the Viśveśvara shrine, with Gaṅgā ghāṭs and temple spires, conveying ‘manifest presence’.

Characters & Entities

• Viśveśvara
• Kāśīnātha
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Viśvānara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Austerity becomes fruitful when directed toward Śiva’s living presence; Kāśī is presented as a uniquely potent field for tapas and divine encounter.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), specifically Viśveśvara/Kāśīnātha—Śiva’s supreme presence in the city.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas (austerity) is indicated as the practice undertaken in Kāśī before Viśveśvara.