Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

प्रसन्नोसि यदीशान सर्वज्ञ करुणानिधे । किमन्येन वरेणात्र यत्त्वं साक्षात्कृतो मया

Transliteration

prasannosi yadīśāna sarvajña karuṇānidhe | kimanyena vareṇātra yattvaṃ sākṣātkṛto mayā

Translation

ഹേ ഈശാനാ, സർവ്വജ്ഞാ, കരുണാനിധേ! നീ പ്രസന്നനായാൽ ഇവിടെ മറ്റൊരു വരം എന്തിന്—ഞാൻ നിന്നെ സാക്ഷാത് ദർശിച്ചല്ലോ।

Word by Word

• प्रसन्नः: pleased
• प्रसन्नः: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रसन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• असि: you are
• असि: Kriyā (Copula)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान/present), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Conditional marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (सम्बन्धबोधक/conditional particle)

• ईशान: O Īśāna
• ईशान: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईशान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन

• सर्वज्ञ: O omniscient one
• सर्वज्ञ: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + ज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (सर्वं जानाति)

• करुणानिधे: O treasure of compassion
• करुणानिधे: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: करुणा (प्रातिपदिक) + निधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (करुणायाः निधिः)

• किम्: what
• किम्: Karman/Prayojana (Interrogative object: 'what [need]?')
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक (interrogative)

• अन्येन: with another
• अन्येन: Karaṇa (Instrument/means)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया (3rd/instrumental), एकवचन

• वरेण: boon
• वरेण: Karaṇa (Instrument; 'by/with a boon')
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Locative sense)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक/adverb of place)

• यत्: since/that
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय-प्रयोगः (सम्बन्धबोधक/relative particle) — correlates with implied तत्

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject of passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुषार्थे (2nd person pronoun), प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• साक्षात्कृतः: directly realized/seen
• साक्षात्कृतः: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: साक्षात् (अव्यय) + कृत (कृदन्त; √कृ धातु, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावः (साक्षात् + कृत) = 'made direct/seen directly' (past passive participle used predicatively)

• मया: by me
• मया: Karta (Agent in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (3rd/instrumental), एकवचन; 'by me'

Speaker

Dharmarāja (Yama)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī/Avimukta

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sage-audience / pilgrims

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The devotee, overwhelmed, declares that no other boon is needed because he has seen Īśāna directly; Śiva’s compassionate gaze meets the speaker.

Characters & Entities

• Dharmarāja (Yama)
• Śiva (Īśāna)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Direct realization (darśana/sākṣātkāra) of Śiva is presented as the highest gift, surpassing all material boons.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is implied as the place where Śiva’s immediacy makes divine darśana itself the supreme ‘vara’.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse centers on darśana and divine satisfaction (prasāda).