Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

आगत्य मंदरादद्रेरुपेंद्रश्चंद्रशेखरम् । आपृच्छ्य तार्क्ष्यरथगः क्षणाद्वाराणसीं पुरीम्

Transliteration

āgatya maṃdarādadrerupeṃdraścaṃdraśekharam | āpṛcchya tārkṣyarathagaḥ kṣaṇādvārāṇasīṃ purīm

Translation

മന്ദരപർവ്വതത്തിൽ നിന്ന് വന്ന് ഉപേന്ദ്രൻ (വിഷ്ണു) ചന്ദ്രശേഖരനെ (ശിവനെ) വന്ദിച്ച് വിട വാങ്ങി; തുടർന്ന് താർക്ഷ്യൻ (ഗരുഡൻ) രഥമായപ്പോൾ ക്ഷണത്തിൽ വാരാണസി നഗരത്തിലെത്തി।

Word by Word

• आगत्य: having come
• आगत्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ + गम् (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund)

• मन्दरात्: from Mandara
• मन्दरात्: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्दर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अद्रेः: of the mountain
• अद्रेः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अद्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

• उपेन्द्रः: Upendra (Viṣṇu)
• उपेन्द्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपेन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• चन्द्रशेखरम्: Candraśekhara (Śiva)
• चन्द्रशेखरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक) + शेखर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (चन्द्रः शेखरः यस्य) नामरूपेण

• आपृच्छ्य: having asked/taken leave
• आपृच्छ्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ + प्रच्छ् (धातु) + ल्यप् (क्त्वा-समकक्ष)
• Form: ल्यबन्त-अव्यय (Gerund)

• तार्क्ष्यरथगः: riding Garuḍa as his chariot
• तार्क्ष्यरथगः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तार्क्ष्य (प्रातिपदिक) + रथ (प्रातिपदिक) + ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (तार्क्ष्यस्य रथः; तेन गच्छति इति) ‘उपेन्द्रः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• क्षणात्: in an instant
• क्षणात्: Adhikarana (Time-locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• वाराणसीम्: Vārāṇasī
• वाराणसीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाराणसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पुरीम्: city
• पुरीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘वाराणसीम्’ इत्यस्य अप्पोजिशन (समानाधिकरण)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vārāṇasī (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Viṣṇu (Upendra) departs Mandara, respectfully takes leave of Candraśekhara (Śiva), then mounts Garuḍa and flies to Kāśī, arriving instantly over the Ganga-lined city.

Characters & Entities

• Upendra (Viṣṇu)
• Candraśekhara (Śiva)
• Mandara
• Tārkṣya (Garuḍa)
• Vārāṇasī (Kāśī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is presented as a supreme sacred destination, drawing even Viṣṇu, while honoring Śiva—signaling harmony of devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vārāṇasī (Kāśī), the sacred city that Viṣṇu reaches swiftly.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse narrates divine movement toward Kāśī as part of the māhātmya.