Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

शंभुः कात्यायनीवाक्यामिति श्रुत्वा तदाब्रवीत् । क्रतुस्त्वया नेक्षितश्चेदाहरामि ततः क्रतुम्

Transliteration

śaṃbhuḥ kātyāyanīvākyāmiti śrutvā tadābravīt | kratustvayā nekṣitaścedāharāmi tataḥ kratum

Translation

Als Śambhu die Worte Kātyāyanīs (der Göttin) vernahm, sprach er: „Wenn du jenes Opfer nicht gesehen hast, so werde ich dieses Kratu, den heiligen Ritus, hierher bringen.“

Word by Word

• śaṃbhuḥ: Śambhu (Śiva)
• śaṃbhuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṃbhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• kātyāyanī-vākyam: Kātyāyanī’s words
• kātyāyanī-vākyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kātyāyanī (प्रातिपदिक) + vākya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (कात्यायन्याः वाक्यम्)

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण-निपात (quotative particle)

• śrutvā: having heard
• śrutvā: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śru (श्रु धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्यय; ‘having heard’

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kala (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: काल-अव्यय (temporal adverb: then)

• abravīt: said
• abravīt: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √brū (ब्रू धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• kratuḥ: the sacrifice
• kratuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kratu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• tvayā: by you
• tvayā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक; त्रिलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Nishedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation)

• īkṣitaḥ: seen
• īkṣitaḥ: Karma (Object state)
• Type: Verb
• Root: īkṣita (प्रातिपदिक; √īkṣ धातु)
• Form: कृत-प्रत्ययान्त; क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘seen’

• cet: if
• cet: Sambandha (Condition)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: cet (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्त-अव्यय (conditional particle: if)

• āharāmi: I bring
• āharāmi: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√hṛ (हृ धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• tataḥ: then/therefore
• tataḥ: Apadana/Hetu (Source/Reason)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: ततः-देश/हेतु-अव्यय (from there/therefore)

• kratum: the sacrifice
• kratum: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kratu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

Speaker

Śiva (Śambhu)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrim-audience / interlocutor in Kāśī-khaṇḍa frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śambhu responds to Kātyāyanī: if she cannot see the sacrifice there, he will bring the kratu to her—depicting effortless divine mastery, with a hint of affectionate playfulness.

Characters & Entities

• Śambhu (Śiva)
• Kātyāyanī (Devī)
• Kratu (sacrifice)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine grace is not limited by circumstances; the Lord can make dharma accessible when devotion is sincere.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kāśī Khaṇḍa context keeps Kāśī as the sacred ground where Śiva’s immediacy and power are revealed.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A kratu (sacrificial rite) is referenced; Śiva declares he can ‘bring’ the sacrifice, underscoring divine sovereignty over ritual setting.