Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

स्कंद उवाच । कथं देवसरोनाम पंपा चंपा गया तथा । वाराणस्यधिका चैव कथमश्वमुखो हरिः

Transliteration

skaṃda uvāca | kathaṃ devasaronāma paṃpā caṃpā gayā tathā | vārāṇasyadhikā caiva kathamaśvamukho hariḥ

Translation

Skanda said: How did it come to be called Devasara? And how did Pampā, Campā, and Gayā arise? And why is it said to excel even Vārāṇasī? Also, how did Hari become ‘Aśvamukha’ (Horse-faced) there?

Word by Word

• स्कन्दः: Skanda
• स्कन्दः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्कन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

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

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Sambandha (Interrogative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक अव्यय (interrogative adverb: how)

• देवसरः: the divine lake
• देवसरः: Karta (Subject/topic/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + सरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (देवानां सरः)

• नाम: by name; called
• नाम: Sambandha (Naming/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: नामार्थक/उपपद अव्यय (particle: by name)

• पम्पा: Pampā
• पम्पा: Karta (Subject/topic/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पम्पा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• चम्पा: Campā
• चम्पा: Karta (Subject/topic/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चम्पा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• गया: Gayā
• गया: Karta (Subject/topic/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• तथा: and also
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/तुल्यार्थक अव्यय (also; likewise)

• वाराणसी: Vārāṇasī
• वाराणसी: Karta (Subject/topic/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाराणसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• अधिका: superior; pre-eminent
• अधिका: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अधिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'वाराणसी' इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

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

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक अव्यय (emphasis)

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Sambandha (Interrogative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक अव्यय (how)

• अश्वमुखः: horse-faced
• अश्वमुखः: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अश्व + मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (अश्वस्य मुखं यस्य/अश्वमुखः) विशेषणम्

• हरिः: Hari (Viṣṇu)
• हरिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Devasara; Pampā; Campā; Gayā (as associated tīrthas within the Dharmāraṇya narrative)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Īśvara (Śiva)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Skanda, inquiring with reverence, asks about the origins of several tīrtha names and why the place is said to surpass even Vārāṇasī; he also asks how Hari became horse-faced there.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Devasara
• Pampā
• Campā
• Gayā
• Vārāṇasī (Kāśī)
• Hari (Viṣṇu)
• Aśvamukha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Names, rankings, and divine forms at tīrthas are not arbitrary; they encode spiritual history and the dharma of place.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmāraṇya and its associated tīrtha-complexes, set in comparison with Vārāṇasī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None—this verse is a set of questions about origins and sacred status.