Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

सा शक्तिः प्रकृतिः प्रोक्ता स पुमानीश्वरः परः । ताभ्यां च रममाणाभ्यां तस्मिन्क्षेत्रे घटोद्भव

Transliteration

sā śaktiḥ prakṛtiḥ proktā sa pumānīśvaraḥ paraḥ | tābhyāṃ ca ramamāṇābhyāṃ tasminkṣetre ghaṭodbhava

Translation

ఆ శక్తి ‘ప్రకృతి’ అని చెప్పబడుతుంది; ఆ పురుషుడు పరమేశ్వరుడు. ఓ ఘటోద్భవా (అగస్త్యా)! ఆ క్షేత్రంలో ఆ ఇద్దరూ ఆనందంగా రమించుచుండగా…

Word by Word

• sā: she/that (f.)
• sā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• śaktiḥ: power (Śakti)
• śaktiḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• prakṛtiḥ: Prakṛti
• prakṛtiḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prakṛti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• proktā: is declared/called
• proktā: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra√vac (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; ‘is said/called’

• saḥ: he/that (m.)
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• pumān: the male/person (Puruṣa)
• pumān: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pumān (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• īśvaraḥ: Lord
• īśvaraḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• paraḥ: supreme
• paraḥ: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; विशेषण

• tābhyām: by those two
• tābhyām: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्री/पुं (द्वयोर्), तृतीया (3rd/करण), द्विवचन (dual)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction): च (and)

• ramamāṇābhyām: by the two sporting together
• ramamāṇābhyām: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √ram (धातु)
• Form: शतृ/शानच् (present participle, आत्मनेपद), तृतीया (3rd/करण), द्विवचन; ‘by the two who are sporting/enjoying’

• tasmin: in that
• tasmin: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• kṣetre: in the field/realm
• kṣetre: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• ghaṭodbhava: O Pot-born one
• ghaṭodbhava: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ghaṭa (प्रातिपदिक) + udbhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/vocative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: घटात् उद्भवः (born from a pot; epithet)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva (Puruṣa/Īśvara) and Devī (Prakṛti/Śakti) seated or standing together in Kāśī, exchanging glances of serene delight; Agastya stands respectfully, receiving instruction.

Characters & Entities

• Śakti
• Prakṛti
• Īśvara
• Agastya
• Avimukta-kṣetra (Kāśī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Liberation-centered sacred geography rests on the union of Īśvara (conscious Lord) and Śakti (Prakṛti), the twin principles of manifestation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Avimukta-kṣetra within Kāśī, described as the intimate realm of Śiva-Śakti.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it frames the kṣetra as a divine līlā-sthāna, supporting pilgrimage faith.