Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 94

Devanagari script

अगस्तिरुवाच । श्रुत्वा सौरीं कथमेतामप्सरोलोकसंयुताम् । न दरिद्रो भवेत्क्वापि नाधर्मेषु प्रवर्तते

Transliteration

agastiruvāca | śrutvā saurīṃ kathametāmapsarolokasaṃyutām | na daridro bhavetkvāpi nādharmeṣu pravartate

Translation

Agastya sprach: Wer diese heilige Saurī-Erzählung vernimmt, die mit der Welt der Apsaras verbunden ist, wird nirgends arm und neigt sich nicht zu Taten des Adharma.

Word by Word

• अगस्तिः: Agastya
• अगस्तिः: Kartṛ (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अगस्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive): ‘having heard’

• सौरीम्: of Sūrya (solar)
• सौरीम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सौरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying ‘कथाम्’)

• कथाम्: story
• कथाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• एताम्: this
• एताम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying ‘कथाम्’)

• अप्सरोलोकसंयुताम्: connected with the world of Apsarases
• अप्सरोलोकसंयुताम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अप्सरस् (प्रातिपदिक) + लोक (प्रातिपदिक) + संयुत (कृदन्त, √युज् with सम्)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (अप्सरोलोक-सम्युत = connected with the Apsaras-world); ‘संयुत’ = क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying ‘कथाम्’)

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• दरिद्रः: poor
• दरिद्रः: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दरिद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (predicate)

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• क्वापि: anywhere
• क्वापि: Deśa-kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Locative adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्व (अव्यय) + अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (स्थानवाचक + particle): ‘anywhere/ever’

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• अधर्मेषु: in unrighteous acts
• अधर्मेषु: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अधर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन

• प्रवर्तते: engages, proceeds
• प्रवर्तते: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वृत् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Agastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Saurī-kathā (within Kāśī-māhātmya)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Other sages / interlocutor in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa frame (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Agastya, seated as a venerable sage, speaks with conviction to fellow sages; behind him appear faint celestial dancers (apsarases) and a solar glow, symbolizing the Saurī narrative’s heavenly linkage and its power to bestow prosperity and dharma.

Characters & Entities

• Agastya
• Sūrya (Saurī kathā)
• Apsarā-loka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred hearing (śravaṇa) not only grants merit but also reforms conduct, turning one away from adharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The dialogue occurs in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa tradition centered on Kāśī, even when celestial realms are referenced.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The emphasized practice is listening to the Sun-related sacred narrative (saurī kathā) as a dharmic observance.