Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 59

Devanagari script

इति संचिंतयन्देवो योगिनीचक्रमग्रतः । ददर्शातिमहाप्रौढं गाढकार्यस्य साधनम्

Transliteration

iti saṃciṃtayandevo yoginīcakramagrataḥ | dadarśātimahāprauḍhaṃ gāḍhakāryasya sādhanam

Translation

ครั้นทรงดำริดังนี้ เทพเจ้า ณ เบื้องหน้าวงแห่งโยคินี ได้ทอดพระเนตรเห็นเครื่องมืออันเกรียงไกรยิ่ง เพื่อสำเร็จการงานอันยากยิ่งนั้น

Word by Word

• इति: thus
• इति: सम्बन्ध (Discourse marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इत्यादि-प्रकारवाचक/उद्धरण-समाप्त्यर्थक

• संचिन्तयन्: thinking/pondering
• संचिन्तयन्: कर्ता (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-चिन्त् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (Present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• देवः: the god
• देवः: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• योगिनीचक्रम्: the circle of yoginīs
• योगिनीचक्रम्: कर्म/विषय (Object of seeing)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योगिनी-चक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘योगिनीनां चक्रम्’

• अग्रतः: in front
• अग्रतः: अधिकरण (Adverbial location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अग्रतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (in front/before)

• ददर्श: saw
• ददर्श: क्रिया (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अतिमहाप्रौढम्: very great and formidable
• अतिमहाप्रौढम्: विशेषण (Qualifier of sādhanam)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अति-महा-प्रौढ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘अतिशयेन महा च प्रौढम्’

• गाढकार्यस्य: of a difficult task
• गाढकार्यस्य: सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गाढ-कार्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; ‘गाढं (दुर्गमं) कार्यम्’

• साधनम्: means/instrument
• साधनम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: साधन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (Skanda narrating to Agastya—Kāśī Khaṇḍa default framing)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Yoginī-cakra precinct, implied)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Implied audience within the narrative

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A deity stands or sits before a luminous mandala-like circle of Yoginīs—fierce yet auspicious—each holding symbolic implements; the deity ‘sees’ a formidable method (sādhana) to accomplish a hard mission; night-lit Kāśī ambience.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Yoginīs

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine protection operates through deliberate, skillful means—sacred power is also strategic governance of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī/Vārāṇasī, as the protected sacred city central to the unfolding plan.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse transitions the story into divine action through Yoginī agencies.