Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मणानामिति वचः क्षेत्रभक्तिविबृंहितम् । निशम्य गिरिजाकांतस्तुतोष नितरां हरः

Transliteration

brāhmaṇānāmiti vacaḥ kṣetrabhaktivibṛṃhitam | niśamya girijākāṃtastutoṣa nitarāṃ haraḥ

Translation

Hearing those words of the brāhmaṇas—words made resplendent with devotion to the sacred kṣetra—Hara, the beloved of Girijā (Pārvatī), became exceedingly pleased.

Word by Word

• ब्राह्मणानाम्: of the brāhmaṇas
• ब्राह्मणानाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• इति: thus
• इति: Discourse marker (उद्धरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/समाप्ति-सूचक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• वचः: speech/statement
• वचः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• क्षेत्रभक्तिविबृंहितम्: enhanced by devotion to the sacred field
• क्षेत्रभक्तिविबृंहितम्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्षेत्र-भक्ति-विबृंहित (प्रातिपदिक; क्षेत्र + भक्ति + विबृंहित)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण; तत्पुरुष-समासः (क्षेत्रे भक्त्या विबृंहितम् = devotion-to-the-field enhanced)

• निशम्य: having heard
• निशम्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नि-शम् (धातु) + ल्यप् (अव्यय-कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यबन्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund): having heard

• गिरिजाकान्तः: the beloved of Girijā (Śiva)
• गिरिजाकान्तः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गिरिजा-कान्त (प्रातिपदिक; गिरिजा + कान्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गिरिजायाः कान्तः)

• तुतोष: was pleased
• तुतोष: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तुष् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• नितराम्: greatly
• नितराम्: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नितराम् (अव्यय)
• Form: परिमाण/तीव्रता-अव्यय (adverb: exceedingly)

• हरः: Hara (Śiva)
• हरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; नाम

Speaker

Narrator (Skanda to Agastya, per Kāśīkhaṇḍa convention)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A group of venerable brāhmaṇas in Kāśī recite kṣetra-glorifying words; Śiva (Hara), as Girijā-kānta, listens with softened gaze and visible delight, the city’s ghāṭs and temple spires behind.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇas
• Hara (Śiva)
• Girijā (Pārvatī)
• Kāśī-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion to the sacred kṣetra (Kāśī) is itself a powerful act of dharma that delights Śiva.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī-kṣetra (Vārāṇasī), praised through kṣetra-bhakti.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The implied practice is stuti (praise) and remembrance of Kāśī; no specific vrata or dāna is stated in this verse.