Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

इत्याहूय विधातारं बहुमानपुरःसरम् । तत्रोपवेश्य श्रीकंठः प्रोवाच चतुराननम्

Transliteration

ityāhūya vidhātāraṃ bahumānapuraḥsaram | tatropaveśya śrīkaṃṭhaḥ provāca caturānanam

Translation

So sprach er und rief Vidhātā (Brahmā) mit gebührender Ehrerbietung herbei; und nachdem er ihn dort hatte Platz nehmen lassen, redete Śrīkaṇṭha (Śiva) zu Caturānana.

Word by Word

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उक्त्यर्थक निपात (quotative particle)

• आहूय: having summoned
• आहूय: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-ह्वे (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund), ‘having summoned/called’

• विधातारम्: the creator (Brahmā)
• विधातारम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विधातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• बहुमान-पुरःसरम्: preceded by great respect
• बहुमान-पुरःसरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहुमान (प्रातिपदिक) + पुरःसर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (बहुमानस्य पुरःसरः)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (locative adverb: ‘there’)

• उपवेश्य: having seated
• उपवेश्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-विश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund), causative sense by context ‘having seated (him)’

• श्रीकण्ठः: Śrīkaṇṭha (Śiva)
• श्रीकण्ठः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री (प्रातिपदिक) + कण्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (श्रीमान् कण्ठः)

• प्रोवाच: said/spoke
• प्रोवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-√वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/परफेक्ट), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• चतुराननम्: to the four-faced one (Brahmā)
• चतुराननम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर् (प्रातिपदिक) + आनन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (चत्वारि आननानि यस्य)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual, within Skanda’s discourse to Agastya in Kāśīkhaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī / Avimukta

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva summons Brahmā respectfully, seats him, and begins a focused discourse about Kāśī.

Characters & Entities

• Vidhātā (Brahmā)
• Śrīkaṇṭha (Śiva)
• Caturānana (Brahmā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even among gods, sacred matters are handled with maryādā (honor and protocol), emphasizing dharmic conduct in divine deliberations.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the implicit focus, as the divine conversation is convened due to Kāśī’s situation.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it establishes the narrative setting for instruction about Kāśī.