Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

काशीनाथमनुप्राप्ताः परमानंददायिनम् । तथा गौतमकुंडाच्च शतानिनव चागताः

Transliteration

kāśīnāthamanuprāptāḥ paramānaṃdadāyinam | tathā gautamakuṃḍācca śatāninava cāgatāḥ

Translation

അവർ പരമാനന്ദദായകനായ കാശീനാഥനെ പ്രാപിച്ചു; കൂടാതെ ഗൗതമകുണ്ഡത്തിൽ നിന്നുമും ഒൻപതുനൂറ് പേർ എത്തി।

Word by Word

• काशीनाथम्: the Lord of Kāśī
• काशीनाथम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशीनाथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (काश्याः नाथः)

• अनुप्राप्ताः: having reached
• अनुप्राप्ताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु + प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (भूतकर्मणि/भूतकालिक-विशेषण), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगः—‘having reached’

• परमानन्ददायिनम्: bestower of supreme bliss
• परमानन्ददायिनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम + आनन्द + दायिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी/कर्मधारय-प्रायः (परमः आनन्दः यस्य/यः ददाति)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: रीत्यर्थक-अव्यय

• गौतमकुण्डात्: from Gautama-kuṇḍa
• गौतमकुण्डात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गौतमकुण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गौतमस्य कुण्डम्)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपात

• शतानि: hundreds
• शतानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• नव: nine
• नव: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नवन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्याशब्दः; (शतानि इत्यस्य) विशेषणम्

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपात

• आगताः: came/arrived
• आगताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (भूतकालिक-विशेषण), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्तरि—‘having come’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gautama-kuṇḍa; Kāśīnātha (Viśveśvara)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (general frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims reaching the Viśvanātha shrine with faces softened by relief; a secondary vignette shows Gautama-kuṇḍa with ascetic symbolism (deer, kusa grass, simple hermitage motifs) feeding into the city’s sacred topography.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśīnātha
• Gautama-kuṇḍa
• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśīnātha is framed as the direct source of paramānanda; approaching Him is the culmination of tīrtha-travel.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gautama-kuṇḍa is named as a source tīrtha from which pilgrims proceed to Kāśīnātha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit prescription; the focus is on arrival for darśana of Kāśīnātha.