Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

देवोतिविस्मयापन्नो ऽवर्णयत्पीठगौरवम् । त्रैलोक्यनगरे चात्र काशीराजगृहं मम

Transliteration

devotivismayāpanno 'varṇayatpīṭhagauravam | trailokyanagare cātra kāśīrājagṛhaṃ mama

Translation

وقد غمره عجبٌ فائق، فراح الإله يصف جلال ذلك المقعد المقدّس؛ وهنا، في هذه المدينة التي هي كحاضرة العوالم الثلاثة، ذكر مسكني الملكي في كاشي.

Word by Word

• देव: the god; the deity
• देव: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन (masculine nominative singular)

• अति: exceedingly, very
• अति: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अति (अव्यय)
• Form: उपसर्ग/अव्यय (intensifier)

• विस्मयापन्नः: overcome with astonishment
• विस्मयापन्नः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विस्मय + आपन्न (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √आप्/आप्नोति (धातु) ‘to attain’)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; तृतीया/सप्तमी-भावे तत्पुरुषसदृशः (विस्मयम् आपन्नः = having fallen into astonishment)

• अवर्णयत्: described
• अवर्णयत्: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वर्ण् (धातु) with अव-उपसर्ग
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद (imperfect, 3rd person singular, active)

• पीठगौरवम्: the greatness/glory of the seat/throne
• पीठगौरवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पीठ + गौरव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पीठस्य गौरवम्) (neuter accusative singular)

• त्रैलोक्यनगरे: in the city of the three worlds
• त्रैलोक्यनगरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रैलोक्य + नगर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (त्रैलोक्यस्य नगरम्) (neuter locative singular)

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

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (adverb of place)

• काशीराजगृहम्: the house/palace of the king of Kāśī
• काशीराजगृहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी + राज + गृह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (काशीराजस्य गृहम्) (neuter nom/acc singular)

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी विभक्ति, एकवचन (genitive singular pronoun)

Speaker

Narrator voice within Kāśīkhaṇḍa (deductively Skanda to Agastya); the ‘Deva’ is a character being reported

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (with a specific pīṭha locus implied)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant deva, astonished, gestures toward a resplendent sacred seat within Kāśī; the city appears layered—earthly ghāṭs and temples merging into a luminous, otherworldly skyline.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Pīṭha (sacred seat)
• Trailokya-nagara (city of three worlds)
• Kāśī-rāja (King of Kāśī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is exalted as a trans-worldly sacred city, and the ‘pīṭha’ (holy seat) is portrayed as awe-inspiring in spiritual authority.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), praised as ‘Trailokya-nagara’; also a revered pīṭha (sacred seat) within its sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse is descriptive, establishing the site’s grandeur.