Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

तस्यैकलस्य चरतो द्वितीयेच्छा भवत्किल । अमूर्तेन स्वमूर्तिश्च तेनाकल्पि स्वलीलया

Transliteration

tasyaikalasya carato dvitīyecchā bhavatkila | amūrtena svamūrtiśca tenākalpi svalīlayā

Translation

وہ یکتا ہستی تنہا رواں تھی؛ روایت ہے کہ اس کے دل میں ‘دوسرے’ کی خواہش پیدا ہوئی۔ پس اپنی ہی لیلا سے بے صورت نے اپنی صورت کو تراش لیا۔

Word by Word

• तस्य: of him/its
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• एकलस्य: of the solitary one
• एकलस्य: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एकल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier)

• चरतो: of (him) moving/wandering
• चरतो: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चर् (धातु) + शतृ (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय) → चरन्त् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन; वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त (present active participle)

• द्वितीया: a second
• द्वितीया: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वितीय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; विशेषण

• इच्छा: desire, wish
• इच्छा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इच्छा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• भवत्: arose/was (comes to be)
• भवत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु) + शतृ → भवत् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; धातु: भू (to be)

• किल: indeed, as is said
• किल: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किल (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अवधान/श्रुत्यर्थ (indeed, it is said)

• अमूर्तेन: by/with the formless (one)
• अमूर्तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अमूर्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन; विशेषण

• स्वमूर्तिः: his/its own form
• स्वमूर्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + मूर्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (genitive determinative: 'one's own form')

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• तेन: by him/thereby
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/Agentive instrumental)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• अकल्पि: was fashioned/was formed
• अकल्पि: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कॢप् (धातु)
• Form: लुङ्-लकार (Aorist), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद/परस्मैपद-प्रयोगः (contextual); अर्थः: 'was fashioned/was arranged'

• स्वलीलया: by (his) own play
• स्वलीलया: Karana (Instrument/means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + लीला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष ('by one's own play')

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and ṛṣis (assembly)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A solitary, all-pervading luminous Presence in void-like space; from it arises a gentle ripple of intention, and a radiant feminine/manifest form emerges as the play of the formless.

Characters & Entities

• Brahman
• Īśvarī/Śakti (implied manifestation)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The manifest divine form arises from the formless Absolute through līlā, without diminishing the One.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kāśīkhaṇḍa context links these cosmological truths to Kāśī’s status as a revelatory sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated; the verse explains manifestation theology.