Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

आग्नीध्र कुंडे सुस्नातः पश्येदाग्नीध्रमीश्वरम् । उर्वशीशं ततो गच्छेत्ततस्तु नकुलीश्वरम्

Transliteration

āgnīdhra kuṃḍe susnātaḥ paśyedāgnīdhramīśvaram | urvaśīśaṃ tato gacchettatastu nakulīśvaram

Translation

ആഗ്നീധ്ര കുണ്ഡത്തിൽ നന്നായി സ്നാനം ചെയ്ത് ആഗ്നീധ്രമീശ്വരനെ ദർശിക്കണം. പിന്നെ ഉർവശീശനിലേക്കും, അതിനുശേഷം നകുലീശ്വരനിലേക്കും പോകണം.

Word by Word

• āgnīdhra: Āgnīdhra (name/pertaining to Āgnīdhra)
• āgnīdhra: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: āgnīdhra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग-प्रातिपदिक; अत्र स्थान-विशेषणरूपेण (आग्नीध्र-सम्बन्धि)

• kuṇḍe: in the pond/pit (kuṇḍa)
• kuṇḍe: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kuṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन (neut. loc. sg.)

• susnātaḥ: having bathed well
• susnātaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su + snāta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √snā धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (masc. nom. sg.); विशेषण (well-bathed)

• paśyet: should see
• paśyet: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (opt. 3rd sg. P.)

• āgnīdhram: Āgnīdhra (named)
• āgnīdhram: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: āgnīdhra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (masc. acc. sg.)

• īśvaram: the Lord (Śiva)
• īśvaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (masc. acc. sg.)

• urvaśīśam: Urvaśīśa (Lord of Urvaśī)
• urvaśīśam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: urvaśī + īśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (urvaśyāḥ īśaḥ) (masc. acc. sg.)

• tataḥ: then/from there
• tataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; तदनन्तरम् (adverb: then/from there)

• gacchet: should go
• gacchet: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (opt. 3rd sg. P.)

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; तदनन्तरम् (adverb)

• tu: and/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधार्थक (particle: but/indeed)

• nakulīśvaram: Nakulīśvara (a form of Śiva)
• nakulīśvaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nakulī + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (nakulyāḥ īśvaraḥ / nakulī-nāmaka īśvaraḥ) (masc. acc. sg.)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Āgnīdhra Kuṇḍa and associated liṅga circuit

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim bathes in a small stepped kuṇḍa, then walks through narrow Kāśī lanes to successive shrines—Āgnīdhreśvara, Urvaśīśa, Nakulīśvara—offering water and bilva at each.

Characters & Entities

• Āgnīdhra Kuṇḍa
• Āgnīdhrēśvara
• Urvaśīśa
• Nakulīśvara
• Śiva
• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purification through tīrtha-bathing followed by Śiva-darśana is presented as the ideal sequence in Kāśī.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Āgnīdhra Kuṇḍa and the connected Śiva shrines: Āgnīdhrēśvara, Urvaśīśa, and Nakulīśvara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform snāna (bathing) at Āgnīdhra Kuṇḍa and then proceed for darśana of the named liṅgas in order.