Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

अगस्त्य उवाच । त्रिलोचनं समासाद्य देवदेवः षडाननः । जगदंबिकयायुक्तः किं चकाराशु तद्वद

Transliteration

agastya uvāca | trilocanaṃ samāsādya devadevaḥ ṣaḍānanaḥ | jagadaṃbikayāyuktaḥ kiṃ cakārāśu tadvada

Translation

ଅଗସ୍ତ୍ୟ କହିଲେ—ତ୍ରିଲୋଚନଙ୍କୁ ସମୀପ କରି, ଜଗଦମ୍ବିକା ସହିତ ଦେବଦେବ ଷଡାନନ ତତ୍କ୍ଷଣାତ୍ କ’ଣ କଲେ? ତାହା କୁହ।

Word by Word

• अगस्त्यः: Agastya
• अगस्त्यः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अगस्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; वक्ता

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• त्रिलोचनम्: Trilocana (three-eyed one, Śiva)
• त्रिलोचनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि-लोचन (प्रातिपदिक; त्रि + लोचन)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म (समासाद्य)

• समासाद्य: having approached
• समासाद्य: Kriya (Non-finite verbal action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-√सद् (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); 'having approached'

• देवदेवः: Lord of gods
• देवदेवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव-देव (प्रातिपदिक; देव + देव)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्ता (चकार)

• षडाननः: six-faced (Skanda)
• षडाननः: Visheshana (Appositive qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: षट्-आनन (प्रातिपदिक; षट् + आनन)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समानाधिकरण-विशेषण (देवदेवः)

• जगदंबिकया: with Jagadambikā (Mother of the world)
• जगदंबिकया: Sahakaraka (Accompaniment/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत्-अम्बिका (प्रातिपदिक; जगत् + अम्बिका)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; सह/साकं-भाव (with Jagadambikā)

• युक्तः: joined/associated
• युक्तः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: युज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (देवदेवः/षडाननः)

• किम्: what
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; प्रश्न (interrogative object)

• चकार: did
• चकार: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• आशु: quickly
• आशु: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आशु (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'that' (referring to the act)

• वद: tell (me)
• वद: Prayojaka (Request/आज्ञा)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Agastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Trilocana Liṅga (Trilocaneśvara)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Skanda (as respondent)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Agastya, the pot-born sage, asks with folded hands; in a vision-like panel, Skanda with six faces approaches the Trilocana Liṅga, accompanied by the Goddess (Jagadambikā).

Characters & Entities

• Agastya
• Trilocana
• Skanda (Ṣaḍānana)
• Jagadambikā (Pārvatī/Devī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred history is transmitted through humble inquiry; the sage requests the māhātmya of a holy presence in Kāśī.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Trilocana in the Kāśī sacred landscape (later identified as a liṅga/holy locus).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly—this verse initiates the inquiry that frames the forthcoming māhātmya.