Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

स्कंद उवाच । विंध्योन्नतिहृदाख्यामि धर्मतीर्थसमुद्भवम् । आकर्णय महाप्राज्ञ यथा देवेन भाषितम्

Transliteration

skaṃda uvāca | viṃdhyonnatihṛdākhyāmi dharmatīrthasamudbhavam | ākarṇaya mahāprājña yathā devena bhāṣitam

Translation

Skanda sprach: O hochweiser, höre. Ich werde den Ursprung von Dharmatīrtha darlegen, gemäß der Erzählung «Vindhyonnati-hṛd», genau so, wie es der Herr gesprochen hat.

Word by Word

• स्कंदः: Skanda
• स्कंदः: Kartr (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्कन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• विंध्योन्नतिहृत्: (the account) called Vindhyonnatihṛt
• विंध्योन्नतिहृत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विंध्य + उन्नति + हृत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; समासार्थः—‘विंध्यस्य उन्नतिः (उन्नतिः=उत्कर्षः) तया हृत्/हृतम्’ इति नाम (proper name)

• आख्यामि: I narrate
• आख्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + ख्या (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), परस्मैपद, उत्तमपुरुष (1st), एकवचन

• धर्मतीर्थसमुद्भवम्: the origin of the Dharma-tīrtha
• धर्मतीर्थसमुद्भवम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धर्मतीर्थ (समास) + समुद्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष—‘धर्मतीर्थस्य समुद्भवः’ (origin of Dharma-tīrtha)

• आकर्णय: listen
• आकर्णय: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + कर्णय्/कर्ण (धातु; causative sense from √कर्ण/श्रु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; ‘hear/listen’

• महाप्राज्ञ: O great sage / O very wise one
• महाप्राज्ञ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाप्राज्ञ (महा + प्राज्ञ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8), एकवचन; कर्मधारय—‘महान् प्राज्ञः’

• यथा: as
• यथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-सम्बन्ध (conj./adverb) ‘as/according to’

• देवेन: by the god
• देवेन: Kartr (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन

• भाषितम्: spoken
• भाषितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भाष् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; ‘spoken’

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmatīrtha

Type: tirtha

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Skanda begins narration, right hand raised in teaching mudrā; Agastya leans forward listening. A faint cartographic suggestion: a river bend/pond labeled Dharmatīrtha, and distant Vindhya hills to hint at ‘Vindhyonnati’.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Dharmatīrtha
• Vindhya
• Deva (Śiva, by context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-māhātmya is preserved through faithful transmission of divine teaching within guru-disciple dialogue.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmatīrtha—its origin and sanctity—becomes the focus of the chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual instruction yet; the verse begins the narrative framework for the tīrtha’s greatness.