Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

अनादिसिद्धे संसारे पुरा देवयुगे मुने । प्राप्तः कुतश्चिदीशानश्चरन्स्वैरमितस्ततः

Transliteration

anādisiddhe saṃsāre purā devayuge mune | prāptaḥ kutaścidīśānaścaransvairamitastataḥ

Translation

โอ้มุนี ในสังสารวัฏอันไร้เบื้องต้นและตั้งมั่นมาแต่เดิม กาลครั้งยุคแห่งทวยเทพ อีศานะได้มาจากที่ใดไม่ปรากฏ แล้วเที่ยวจาริกอย่างเสรีไปทั่วทิศ

Word by Word

• anādi-siddhe: in the beginningless-established (i.e., eternal)
• anādi-siddhe: Adhikaraṇa (Locative setting)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anādi (प्रातिपदिक) + siddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (anādiḥ siddhaḥ)

• saṃsāre: in the world-cycle, in saṃsāra
• saṃsāre: Adhikaraṇa (Locative setting)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃsāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• purā: formerly, once
• purā: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (formerly/once)

• deva-yuge: in the age of the gods
• deva-yuge: Adhikaraṇa (Locative setting)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + yuga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (devānāṃ yugaḥ)

• mune: O sage
• mune: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• prāptaḥ: arrived, having come
• prāptaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra-āp (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• kutaścit: from somewhere
• kutaścit: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kutaḥ + cit (अव्यय-निपात)
• Form: अनिश्चितार्थक-अव्यय (indefinite adverb: from somewhere)

• īśānaḥ: Īśāna (a name of Śiva)
• īśānaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• caran: wandering, moving about
• caran: Karta (Concurrent action)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: car (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (present active participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• svairam: freely, at will
• svairam: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: svaira (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-प्रयोग (adverbial accusative)

• itaḥ: from here, thence
• itaḥ: Apādāna (Source)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: itaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (from here/there; hence)

• tataḥ: from there; then
• tataḥ: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: देश/हेतुवाचक-अव्यय (from there/thereafter)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jñānavāpī (origin narrative context)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A mythic prologue: Īśāna (Śiva in a specific aspect) wanders freely in the ancient deva-age across a primordial landscape, foreshadowing the establishment of a sacred water-site.

Characters & Entities

• Īśāna (Śiva)
• Agastya
• Deva-yuga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places are introduced through divine movement and intention—Śiva’s presence initiates the unfolding of tīrtha origins.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse begins the origin account leading to Jñānavāpī/Skanda-Jñānoda Tīrtha in Kāśī, though the site is not named in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is narrative setup for the tīrtha’s samutpatti (origin).