Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 64

Devanagari script

पुनः प्रोवाच देवेशो निशामयत भो द्विजाः । हितं वः कथयाम्यत्र तदनुष्ठीयतां ध्रुवम्

Transliteration

punaḥ provāca deveśo niśāmayata bho dvijāḥ | hitaṃ vaḥ kathayāmyatra tadanuṣṭhīyatāṃ dhruvam

Translation

Then the Lord of the gods spoke again: “Listen, O twice-born. I shall tell you what is truly beneficial here—let it be practiced without fail.”

Word by Word

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनस् (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण/adverb)

• प्रोवाच: said / spoke forth
• प्रोवाच: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular), परस्मैपद

• देवेशः: the Lord of gods
• देवेशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (देवानाम् ईशः)

• निशामयत: listen / pay attention
• निशामयत: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि + शम्/शमय् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), बहुवचन (plural), परस्मैपद

• भो: O!
• भो: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भो (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बोधन-निपात (vocative particle)

• द्विजाः: O twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विजाः: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative) बहुवचन; सम्बोधनार्थे अपि प्रयोगः (addressing)

• हितम्: what is beneficial
• हितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √धा (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle) ‘placed/beneficial’

• वः: for you / of you
• वः: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive) बहुवचन (enclitic)

• कथयामि: I tell
• कथयामि: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथय् (धातु; नामधातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Locative sense)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक/adverb of place)

• तत्: that (instruction)
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• अनुष्ठीयताम्: let it be carried out
• अनुष्ठीयताम्: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु + स्था (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), कर्मणि प्रयोगः (Passive), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; विधिलिङ्गार्थे आज्ञा ‘let it be performed’

• ध्रुवम्: certainly
• ध्रुवम्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ध्रुव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावेन क्रियाविशेषणवत् (indeclinable adverbial use)

Speaker

Śiva (Deveśa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (Vārāṇasī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijāḥ (twice-born)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic moment: the Lord (as Viśveśvara/Śiva) addresses assembled brāhmaṇas in Kāśī, signaling a ‘secret beneficial rule’ to be practiced unfailingly; background hints of ghāṭs and temple spires.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Dvijas
• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva emphasizes that Kāśī’s holiness should be matched by disciplined practice of beneficial conduct.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī, implied as the sacred ‘here’ where right practice is urged for kṣetra-vāsins.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A general injunction to undertake the beneficial disciplines that Śiva is about to enumerate.