Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 33

Devanagari script

हरं प्रदक्षिणीकृत्य जग्मिवानतिरंहसा । ततस्तदनुगाञ्शंभुः स्वनिःश्वाससमुद्गतान्

Transliteration

haraṃ pradakṣiṇīkṛtya jagmivānatiraṃhasā | tatastadanugāñśaṃbhuḥ svaniḥśvāsasamudgatān

Translation

ഹരനെ (ശിവനെ) പ്രദക്ഷിണം വെച്ച് അവൻ അതിവേഗത്തിൽ യാത്രയായി. പിന്നീട് ശംഭു തന്റെ നിശ്വാസത്തിൽ നിന്ന് ഉണ്ടായ അനുചരന്മാരെ...

Word by Word

• हरम्: Hara (Śiva)
• हरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्रदक्षिणीकृत्य: having circumambulated
• प्रदक्षिणीकृत्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्र + दक्षिणी + कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive); ‘pradakṣiṇāṃ kṛtvā’ इत्यर्थः

• जग्मिवान्: went
• जग्मिवान्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्तवतु-प्रत्ययान्त (perfect participle used finitely), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; परोक्षभूतार्थ (has gone/went)

• अतिरंहसा: very swiftly
• अतिरंहसा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अतिरंहस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-रूपेण तृतीया-एकवचन (instrumental used adverbially)

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रमवाचक-अव्यय (then)

• तत्: those
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: (समासपूर्वपद) ‘those/that’—अनुगान् इति विशेषण

• अनुगान्: followers
• अनुगान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनुग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• शम्भुः: Śambhu (Śiva)
• शम्भुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शम्भु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• स्वनिःश्वाससमुद्गतान्: arisen from his own breath
• स्वनिःश्वाससमुद्गतान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व + निःश्वास + समुद्गत (प्रातिपदिक; सम् + उद् + गम् धातोः क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘स्वनिःश्वासात् समुद्गत’ इति विशेषण—अनुगान्

Speaker

Narrator (Skanda to Agastya, inferred from Kāśī Khaṇḍa convention)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī temple-pradakṣiṇā ethos (contextual)

Type: temple

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vīrabhadra circles Śiva in reverence, then darts away; behind him, Śiva exhales and from that breath manifest fierce attendants, like living smoke turning into forms.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Hara/Śambhu)
• Vīrabhadra
• Gaṇas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pradakṣiṇā signifies surrender and alignment; divine power manifests effortlessly when dharma is to be upheld.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kāśī Khaṇḍa context honors Kāśī’s Śaiva atmosphere, but this verse centers on Śiva’s presence rather than a named tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pradakṣiṇā (circumambulation) of Śiva is implied as a reverential act.