Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 45

Devanagari script

तं निवार्य तदा ब्रह्मा तारां पप्रच्छ संशयम् । प्रोवाच प्रांजलिः सा तं सोमस्येति पितामहम्

Transliteration

taṃ nivārya tadā brahmā tārāṃ papraccha saṃśayam | provāca prāṃjaliḥ sā taṃ somasyeti pitāmaham

Translation

Ihn zurückhaltend, befragte Brahmā daraufhin Tārā, um den Zweifel zu klären. Mit gefalteten Händen sprach sie zum Großvater (Brahmā): „(Das Kind ist) Somas.“

Word by Word

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; pronoun, masculine, accusative singular

• निवार्य: having restrained, stopping
• निवार्य: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-वार् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्तः (gerund), पूर्वक्रिया; absolutive

• तदा: then
• तदा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्ययम् (temporal adverb)

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā
• ब्रह्मा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; masculine, nominative singular

• ताराम्: Tārā
• ताराम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तारा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; feminine, accusative singular

• पप्रच्छ: asked
• पप्रच्छ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-प्रच्छ् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; perfect, 3rd person singular

• संशयम्: the doubt, the question
• संशयम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; masculine, accusative singular

• प्रोवाच: said, replied
• प्रोवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-उच्/वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; perfect, 3rd person singular

• प्राञ्जलिः: with folded hands
• प्राञ्जलिः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्राञ्जलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; adjective used as predicate/epithet; masculine, nominative singular

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; pronoun, feminine, nominative singular

• तम्: to him
• तम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; pronoun, masculine, accusative singular

• सोमस्य: of Soma
• सोमस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; masculine, genitive singular

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/निगमन-अव्ययम् (quotative particle)

• पितामहम्: the Grandfather (Brahmā)
• पितामहम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितामह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; masculine, accusative singular

Speaker

Skanda (to Agastya, deduced from Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā steps between Kumāra and Tārā, calming the moment; he questions her; Tārā, hands folded, confesses the truth—Soma is the father; the deva-assembly watches as doubt dissolves.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Tārā
• Soma
• Kumāra (Skanda)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Doubt is resolved through truthful confession; humility (prāñjali) restores order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the larger sacred frame; this verse supplies the backstory that culminates in Kāśī-based liṅga worship.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the emphasis is on dharmic inquiry and truthful speech.