Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

स्वैरं विहरतस्तत्र ज्येष्ठस्थाने महेशितुः । कौतुकेनैव चिक्रीड शिवा कंदुकलीलया

Transliteration

svairaṃ viharatastatra jyeṣṭhasthāne maheśituḥ | kautukenaiva cikrīḍa śivā kaṃdukalīlayā

Translation

在耶什提斯塔那，当大自在天自在游行之时，湿婆女神因一时戏心与好奇，便以抛球之戏而嬉游。

Word by Word

• स्वैरम्: freely/at will
• स्वैरम्: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: svaira (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण प्रयुक्तम् (adverbial accusative)

• विहरतोः: of the two who were roaming/sporting
• विहरतोः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-hṛ (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमान-कृदन्तः (present active participle), पुंलिङ्गः, षष्ठी-विभक्तिः (Genitive/6th), द्विवचनम्

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• ज्येष्ठस्थाने: in Jyeṣṭhasthāna
• ज्येष्ठस्थाने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jyeṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक) + sthāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (Locative/7th), एकवचनम्

• महेशितुः: of the Great Lord (Śiva)
• महेशितुः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maheśitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, षष्ठी-विभक्तिः (Genitive/6th), एकवचनम्

• कौतुकॆन: out of curiosity/for sport
• कौतुकॆन: Karana (Instrument/Cause/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kautuka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, तृतीया-विभक्तिः (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचनम्

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• चिक्रीड: played/sported
• चिक्रीड: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: krīḍ (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• शिवा: Śivā (Pārvatī)
• शिवा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śivā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative/1st), एकवचनम्

• कन्दुकलीलया: by/with ball-play
• कन्दुकलीलया: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kanduka (प्रातिपदिक) + līlā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, तृतीया-विभक्तिः (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (कन्दुकस्य लीला)

Speaker

Skanda (narrator)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jyeṣṭhasthāna

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahāmune

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At Jyeṣṭhasthāna’s sacred courtyard, Maheśa wanders freely; Śivā begins a playful ball-game (kanduka-krīḍā). The scene is intimate, divine, and set against Kāśī’s temple architecture.

Characters & Entities

• Jyeṣṭhasthāna
• Maheśa (Śiva)
• Śivā (Pārvatī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s holiness is shown not only through rites but through divine presence—Śiva and Śivā’s līlā sanctifies the place.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Jyeṣṭhasthāna in Kāśī, depicted as a stage for Śiva–Śivā’s divine sport.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; this is a narrative setup highlighting divine līlā rather than a ritual instruction.