Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 67

Devanagari script

अगस्त्य उवाच । अंशांशांशेन निश्चक्रे कुतो भोश्चक्रपाणिना । क्व निर्गतं च हरिणा प्राप्य काशीं षडानन

Transliteration

agastya uvāca | aṃśāṃśāṃśena niścakre kuto bhoścakrapāṇinā | kva nirgataṃ ca hariṇā prāpya kāśīṃ ṣaḍānana

Translation

อคัสตยะกล่าวว่า: โอ้ษฑานนะ จักรปาณี (พระวิษณุ) ปรากฏออกมาด้วยเศษเสี้ยวอันละเอียดนั้นจากที่ใด? และเมื่อเสด็จถึงกาศีแล้ว พระหริทรงปรากฏ ณ ที่ใดโดยแท้?

Word by Word

• अगस्त्यः: Agastya
• अगस्त्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अगस्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• अंशांशांशेन: by a minute fraction
• अंशांशांशेन: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अंश + अंश + अंश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः—पुनरुक्त-तत्पुरुष (अंशस्य अंशस्य अंशेन), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• निश्चक्रे: came forth
• निश्चक्रे: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: निर्-चक्र (धातु: चक्र्/चक्रे—‘to go out/come forth’ as per usage)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद; अर्थे—‘came out/emerged’

• कुतः: from where
• कुतः: Kriya-visheshana (Interrogative/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कुतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• भोः: O!
• भोः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भोः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (vocative particle संबोधन-निपात)

• चक्रपाणिना: by the discus-bearer (Viṣṇu)
• चक्रपाणिना: Karana/Agent (Instrument/Agent/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्र + पाणि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः—तत्पुरुष (चक्रः पाणौ यस्य/चक्रपाणिः), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• क्व: where
• क्व: Kriya-visheshana (Interrogative/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्व (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (interrogative adverb of place)

• निर्गतम्: (what) emerged
• निर्गतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: निर्-गम् (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त—PPP (क्त) ‘gone out’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थे ‘(किम्) निर्गतम्?’

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

• हरिणा: by Hari
• हरिणा: Karana/Agent (Instrument/Agent/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• प्राप्य: having reached
• प्राप्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु) + ल्यप् (प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त—ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त (Gerund) ‘having reached’

• काशीम्: Kāśī
• काशीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• षडानन: O Six-faced one (Skanda)
• षडानन: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: षड् + आनन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः—द्विगु (षड् आननानि यस्य), पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; स्कन्द-सम्बोधन

Speaker

Agastya

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Skanda (Ṣaḍānana)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Agastya, attentive and inquisitive, asks Skanda (Ṣaḍānana) to specify the source and exact place in Kāśī where Hari’s infinitesimal emanation emerged.

Characters & Entities

• Agastya
• Skanda (Ṣaḍānana)
• Cakrapāṇi (Viṣṇu)
• Hari (Viṣṇu)
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Reverent inquiry is part of dharma: the sage seeks precise knowledge of divine manifestations and their sacred loci.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) is referenced broadly; the verse asks for the exact spot of Hari’s emergence within Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a question initiating further exposition.