Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

कानिकानि च पुण्यानि कथ्यतां शिवपूजने । इतिहासपुराणानि वेदाध्ययनमेव च

Transliteration

kānikāni ca puṇyāni kathyatāṃ śivapūjane | itihāsapurāṇāni vedādhyayanameva ca

Translation

Bitte verkünde die vielfältigen Verdienste, die man in der Verehrung Śivas erlangt—einschließlich des Verdienstes des Hörens oder Rezitierens von Itihāsa und Purāṇa sowie des Studiums der Veden.

Word by Word

• kānikāni: which (kinds of)
• kānikāni: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kānika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), बहुवचन; प्रश्नवाचक-विशेषणार्थ (which/how many kinds)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• puṇyāni: merits; pious results
• puṇyāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• kathyatām: let (it) be told; may it be described
• kathyatām: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kath (कथ् धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive): ‘let it be told’

• śivapūjane: in the worship of Śiva
• śivapūjane: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva + pūjana (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (śivasya pūjanam)

• itihāsapurāṇāni: the Itihāsas and Purāṇas
• itihāsapurāṇāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: itihāsa + purāṇa (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; इतिहासनां च पुराणानां च समाहार-द्वन्द्वः

• vedādhyayanam: Veda-study; recitation/study of the Veda
• vedādhyayanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: veda + adhyayana (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (vedasya adhyayanam)

• eva: indeed; only; just
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारणार्थक (particle of emphasis/only)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

Speaker

Ṛṣayaḥ (the sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: The authoritative sage/speaker to whom they appeal

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sages in a Himalayan hermitage near Kedāra request a catalog of merits in Śiva-worship, including the fruits of Itihāsa-Purāṇa recitation and Vedic study; palm-leaf manuscripts and a sacrificial fire sit beside a Śiva-liṅga.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Veda
• Itihāsa
• Purāṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva devotion is strengthened by śāstra—study and sacred narration—so worship and scriptural learning together generate merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kedārakhaṇḍa framework situates these questions within Kedāra’s pilgrimage and Śaiva sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śiva-pūjā is foregrounded, alongside the religious practice of studying the Veda and engaging with Itihāsa-Purāṇa.