Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 72

Devanagari script

इत्यनुज्ञामनुप्राप्य जननी चरणांबुजौ । क्षणं मौलिजजंबाल जडौ कृत्वा ध्रुवो ययौ

Transliteration

ityanujñāmanuprāpya jananī caraṇāṃbujau | kṣaṇaṃ maulijajaṃbāla jaḍau kṛtvā dhruvo yayau

Translation

Thus, having obtained permission, Dhruva bowed and clung to his mother’s lotus-feet; with the net of hair from his head he held them motionless for a moment, and then he departed.

Word by Word

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उक्तिसूचक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• अनुज्ञाम्: permission
• अनुज्ञाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनुज्ञा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), एकवचन

• अनुप्राप्य: having obtained
• अनुप्राप्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु + प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव (indeclinable gerund)

• जननी: mother
• जननी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जननी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/nominative), एकवचन

• चरणाम्बुजौ: the lotus-like feet (two)
• चरणाम्बुजौ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चरण (प्रातिपदिक) + अम्बुज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), द्विवचन; कर्मधारय (अम्बुजौ इव चरणौ)

• क्षणम्: for a moment
• क्षणम्: Adhikarana (Time-span/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कालवाचक-नपुंसक-द्वितीया-एकवचन रूपेण क्रियाविशेषण (accusative of duration)

• मौलिजजम्बाल: O child born from my head (dear child)
• मौलिजजम्बाल: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मौलि (प्रातिपदिक) + ज (प्रातिपदिक) + अम्बाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/vocative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (मौलौ जातः अम्बालः)

• जडौ: motionless; stiff
• जडौ: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), द्विवचन; विशेषण (चरणाम्बुजौ इत्यस्य)

• कृत्वा: having made
• कृत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव

• ध्रुवः: Dhruva
• ध्रुवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ध्रुव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/nominative), एकवचन (नाम)

• ययौ: went
• ययौ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda to Agastya (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Dhruva bows deeply, his hair falling like a net over his mother’s lotus-feet, momentarily ‘holding’ them as he clings in farewell; Sunīti stands steady, granting permission with a blessing gesture.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Agastya
• Dhruva
• Sunīti

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual striving is ideally begun with reverence and permission from elders; devotion and duty (to mother) accompany renunciation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it appears in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s narrative arc.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the act shown is respectful obeisance to a parent’s feet.