Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

तत्राद्राक्षीन्मुनिश्रेष्ठोऽगस्त्यः साक्षात्षडाननम् । प्रणम्य दंडवद्भूमौ सपत्नीको महातपाः

Transliteration

tatrādrākṣīnmuniśreṣṭho'gastyaḥ sākṣātṣaḍānanam | praṇamya daṃḍavadbhūmau sapatnīko mahātapāḥ

Translation

അവിടെ മുനിശ്രേഷ്ഠനായ അഗസ്ത്യൻ സാക്ഷാൽ ഷഡാനനനെ (സ്കന്ദനെ) ദർശിച്ചു. ആ മഹാതപസ്വി ഭാര്യയോടുകൂടെ ഭൂമിയിൽ ദണ്ഡവത് പ്രണാമം ചെയ്ത് വീണു.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक

• अद्राक्षीत्: saw
• अद्राक्षीत्: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लुङ्-लकार (अङ्गवृद्धि-आगम); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन (Aorist, 3rd sg) परस्मैपद

• मुनि: of sages
• मुनि: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-एकवचन (समासाङ्ग)

• श्रेष्ठः: the best of sages
• श्रेष्ठः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मुनिश्रेष्ठः = मुनीनां श्रेष्ठः)

• अगस्त्यः: Agastya
• अगस्त्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अगस्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचन

• साक्षात्: directly, in person
• साक्षात्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: साक्षात् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: directly/visibly)

• षड्: six
• षड्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षड् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्या-पूर्वपद (numeral) (समासाङ्ग)

• आननम्: the six-faced one (Skanda)
• आननम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आनन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (षडाननम् = षड् आननानि यस्य)

• प्रणम्य: having bowed
• प्रणम्य: Pūrvakāla (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्र + नम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); ‘having bowed’

• दण्डवत्: prostrate, like a staff
• दण्डवत्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दण्डवत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: like a staff, prostrate)

• भूमौ: on the ground
• भूमौ: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूमि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-एकवचन

• स: with
• स: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचन (समासाङ्ग)

• पत्नी: wife
• पत्नी: Sahakāraka (Accompaniment/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पत्नी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया-एकवचन (समासाङ्ग)

• कः: accompanied (by)
• कः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचन; तृतीया-तत्पुरुषः (सपत्नीको = पत्नीया सह)

• महा: great
• महा: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचन (समासाङ्ग)

• तपाः: great ascetic
• तपाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महातपाः = महान् तपाः)

Speaker

Vyāsa

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Darśana-sthāna of Ṣaḍānana at Lohita-giri (as implied by narrative)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Agastya, austere and radiant, stands with his wife; before them appears Ṣaḍānana (Skanda) in divine form. The couple falls full-length in daṇḍavat on the earth; the mountain-forest backdrop glows softly.

Characters & Entities

• Agastya
• Skanda (Ṣaḍānana)
• Lopāmudrā (implied by 'sapatnīka')

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even the greatest sages approach the deity with humility; true knowledge is grounded in reverent surrender (praṇāma) and devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Skandavana, implied as the locale where Agastya receives Skanda’s direct darśana.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Daṇḍavat-praṇāma (full prostration) is explicitly performed as an act of worship.