Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

सिद्ध्यष्टकं तु यत्प्रोक्तमणिमादि महत्तरम् । तज्जन्मभूमिरेषैव शंभोरानंदवाटिका

Transliteration

siddhyaṣṭakaṃ tu yatproktamaṇimādi mahattaram | tajjanmabhūmireṣaiva śaṃbhorānaṃdavāṭikā

Translation

अणिमा इत्यादी जे महत्तर अष्टसिद्धी सांगितल्या आहेत, त्यांची जन्मभूमी हीच—शंभूची ही आनंदवाटिका आहे.

Word by Word

• सिद्ध्यष्टकम्: the set of eight siddhis
• सिद्ध्यष्टकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिद्धि (प्रातिपदिक) + अष्टक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन — Nom./Acc. singular

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/अन्वय-अव्यय (particle: but/indeed)

• यत्: which/that
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन — relative pronoun; 'that which'

• प्रोक्तम्: spoken/declared
• प्रोक्तम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र+√वच् (वचने) (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन — Nom./Acc. singular; कर्मणि क्त (having been stated)

• अणिमादि: beginning with aṇimā (etc.)
• अणिमादि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अणिमा (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन — Nom./Acc. singular; 'अणिमा-आदि' = beginning with aṇimā

• महत्तरम्: greater
• महत्तरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन — comparative degree (तरप्)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन — demonstrative; refers back to siddhyaṣṭakam

• जन्मभूमिः: birthplace/origin-ground
• जन्मभूमिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्म (प्रातिपदिक) + भूमि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Nominative singular

• एषा: this
• एषा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Nominative singular

• एव: indeed
• एव: Avadharana (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphasis)

• शम्भोः: of Śambhu (Śiva)
• शम्भोः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शम्भु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन — Genitive singular

• आनन्दवाटिका: the garden of bliss
• आनन्दवाटिका: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आनन्द (प्रातिपदिक) + वाटिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Nominative singular; समासपद (name/apposition)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogues commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śambhor Ānanda-vāṭikā (Ānandakānana in Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A mystical garden-grove of Śambhu where the eight siddhis appear as personified radiant attendants or as symbolic emanations around a central liṅga; yogins witness the emergence with awe yet remain serene.

Characters & Entities

• Śambhu
• Ānandavāṭikā
• Aṇimā
• Siddhis
• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is exalted as a supreme spiritual locus where even the classical yogic siddhis are said to originate under Śiva’s domain.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śambhu’s Ānandavāṭikā/Ānandakānana—an epithet for the sacred Kāśī region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed; the verse highlights the site’s extraordinary potency connected to aṣṭa-siddhis.