Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

स्कंद उवाच । पुनर्विशेषं वक्ष्यामि सदाचारस्य कुंभज । यं श्रुत्वापि नरो धीमान्नाज्ञानतिमिरं विशेत्

Transliteration

skaṃda uvāca | punarviśeṣaṃ vakṣyāmi sadācārasya kuṃbhaja | yaṃ śrutvāpi naro dhīmānnājñānatimiraṃ viśet

Translation

Skanda sprach: O Kumbhaja (Agastya), ich werde erneut die besonderen Einzelheiten des sadācāra, des rechten Wandels, darlegen; wer sie hört und weise ist, tritt nicht in die Finsternis der Unwissenheit ein.

Word by Word

• स्कन्दः: Skanda
• स्कन्दः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्कन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरावृत्ति/काल (adverb)

• विशेषम्: a special detail
• विशेषम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विशेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• वक्ष्यामि: I will tell
• वक्ष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), परस्मैपद, उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन

• सदाचारस्य: of good conduct
• सदाचारस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सदाचार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• कुम्भज: O Kumbhaja (Agastya)
• कुम्भज: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुम्भज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• यम्: which/whom
• यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: श्रु (धातु) → श्रुत्वा (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Gerund/Absolutive)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपि (even/also)

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• धीमान्: wise
• धीमान्: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धीमन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध

• अज्ञानतिमिरम्: the darkness of ignorance
• अज्ञानतिमिरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अज्ञान + तिमिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (अज्ञानस्य तिमिरम्)

• विशेत्: should enter
• विशेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + शि (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Kumbhaja (Agastya)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Skanda, radiant and youthful, addresses Agastya (Kumbhaja) seated in attentive posture; a symbolic lamp or sunbeam dispels a dark veil behind them, representing ignorance removed by instruction.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Agastya (Kumbhaja)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Right conduct (sadācāra), properly understood, dispels ignorance and supports clear spiritual discernment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching is situated in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, reinforcing Kāśī as a premier landscape for dharma and liberating knowledge.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

This verse is introductory; it announces further detailed instruction rather than prescribing a specific ritual.