Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

भवद्भिरद्य रात्रौ यद्दृष्टं स्वप्नविचेष्टितम् । भवत्कौतूहलोत्पत्त्यै तदेव कथयाम्यहम्

Transliteration

bhavadbhiradya rātrau yaddṛṣṭaṃ svapnaviceṣṭitam | bhavatkautūhalotpattyai tadeva kathayāmyaham

Translation

“আজি ৰাতি তোমালোকে যি স্বপ্ন-দৃশ্য দেখিলা, তোমালোকৰ কৌতূহল নিবাৰণৰ বাবে সেই কথাই মই ক’ম।”

Word by Word

• bhavadbhiḥ: by you (all)
• bhavadbhiḥ: Karta (Agent in passive sense)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhavat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun (honorific ‘you’), Masculine, Instrumental (3rd), Plural

• adya: today
• adya: Adhikaraṇa (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: adya (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb of time

• rātrau: at night
• rātrau: Adhikaraṇa (Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rātri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Locative (7th), Singular

• yat: what/that which
• yat: Karma (Object of ‘tell’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Relative pronoun, Neuter, Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd), Singular; correlates with tat

• dṛṣṭam: seen
• dṛṣṭam: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (qualifies ‘yat’)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (धातु); dṛṣṭa (कृदन्त)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular; ‘seen’

• svapna-viceṣṭitam: the dream-episode
• svapna-viceṣṭitam: Karma (Apposition to ‘yat’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svapna (प्रातिपदिक) + viceṣṭita (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त-भाव)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular; तत्पुरुष: ‘svapne viceṣṭitam’ = dream-activity/occurrence in a dream

• bhavat-kautūhala-utpattyai: for arousing your curiosity
• bhavat-kautūhala-utpattyai: Sampradāna (Purpose/recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhavat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + kautūhala (प्रातिपदिक) + utpatti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Dative (4th/चतुर्थी), Singular; तत्पुरुष (multi-member): ‘bhavataḥ kautūhalasya utpattyai’ = for the arising of your curiosity

• tat: that
• tat: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Demonstrative pronoun, Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular; correlative to yat

• eva: indeed
• eva: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (emphasis)

• kathayāmi: I tell
• kathayāmi: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kath (धातु) (denom.); kathayati
• Form: Laṭ (Present), Parasmaipada, 1st Person (उत्तमपुरुष), Singular

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aham (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun, Nominative (1st), Singular

Speaker

Gaṇeśa in disguise (deduced: the one showing dreams and then explaining them)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣi-assembly (frame implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Morning in Kāśī: an elderly astrologer-teacher stands before a householder, raising a hand in reassurance while holding a manuscript; listeners gather, eager to hear the meaning of their night dreams.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṇeśa (implied)
• People of Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual signs are meant to be understood; right interpretation transforms wonder into dharmic clarity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī, where divine communication reaches people through dreams and instruction.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it introduces an explanation of dream symbolism.