Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

इति श्रुत्वा स वचनं भगवद्गणभाषितम् । अतिप्रीतिकरं हृद्यं ततस्तौ प्रत्युवाच ह

Transliteration

iti śrutvā sa vacanaṃ bhagavadgaṇabhāṣitam | atiprītikaraṃ hṛdyaṃ tatastau pratyuvāca ha

Translation

Hearing these words spoken by the Lord’s Gaṇas—most pleasing and heart-delighting—he then replied to the two of them.

Word by Word

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: इत्यादि-निर्देशक-अव्यय (quotative/thus)

• śrutvā: having heard
• śrutvā: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त (absolutive/gerund)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; संकेतवाचक-सर्वनाम

• vacanam: speech/words
• vacanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vacana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन

• bhagavadgaṇabhāṣitam: spoken by the Lord’s gaṇas
• bhagavadgaṇabhāṣitam: Visheshana (Qualifier of vacanam)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhagavat-gaṇa + bhāṣita (प्रातिपदिक-समूह)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—bhagavat-gaṇa (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: of the Lord’s gaṇas) + bhāṣita (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त: spoken)

• atiprītikaram: very joy-giving
• atiprītikaram: Visheshana (Qualifier of vacanam)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ati-prīti-kara (प्रातिपदिक-समूह)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—ati (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + prīti-kara (तत्पुरुष: causing joy)

• hṛdyam: pleasing to the heart
• hṛdyam: Visheshana (Qualifier of vacanam)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hṛdya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपादान/कालवाचक (then/from that)

• tau: those two / them two
• tau: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (Accusative), द्विवचन; संकेतवाचक-सर्वनाम

• pratyuvāca: replied
• pratyuvāca: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prati-ū + vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद; तृतीयपुरुष, एकवचन

• ha: indeed
• ha: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ha (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic/indeed; narrative particle)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual voice within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (frame typical; not explicit here)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pause after the gaṇas’ pleasing words; the brāhmaṇa’s face softens, then he turns to reply—capturing the moment of emotional assent before inquiry deepens.

Characters & Entities

• Bhagavat
• Gaṇas
• Divya Dvija

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Words of divine attendants, aligned with dharma, naturally bring inner joy and clarity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The larger canvas is Kāśī’s sacred cycle, but this verse is a narrative connector without a named tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.