Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

स्कंद उवाच । इति देवीसमुदितं समाकर्ण्य वटोद्भव । सर्वज्ञेन यदाख्यातं तदाख्यास्यामि ते शृणु

Transliteration

skaṃda uvāca | iti devīsamuditaṃ samākarṇya vaṭodbhava | sarvajñena yadākhyātaṃ tadākhyāsyāmi te śṛṇu

Translation

Skanda said: “O Vaṭodbhava, having heard what the Goddess thus spoke, I shall relate to you what was declared by the All-knowing One—listen.”

Word by Word

• स्कन्दः: Skanda
• स्कन्दः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्कन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

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

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; वाक्य-समाप्ति/उद्धरणसूचक (quotative particle)

• देवीसमुदितम्: what was spoken by the Goddess
• देवीसमुदितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक) + समुदित (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तृतीया/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थः: देव्याः समुदितम् (देवी-उक्तम्)

• समाकर्ण्य: having heard
• समाकर्ण्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-कर्ण् (धातु) + ल्यप् (कृत्)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यपन्त अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund): ‘having heard’

• वटोद्भव: O (one) born from the banyan (tree)
• वटोद्भव: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वट (प्रातिपदिक) + उद्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: वटात् उद्भवः (born from the banyan)

• सर्वज्ञेन: by the omniscient one
• सर्वज्ञेन: Karana (Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्वज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• यत्: that which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम

• आख्यातम्: was declared / explained
• आख्यातम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-ख्या (धातु) + त (कृत्)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• आख्यास्यामि: I will explain
• आख्यास्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-ख्या (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदी

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन

• शृणु: listen
• शृणु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदी

Speaker

Skanda

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Vaṭodbhava

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Skanda, poised as a storyteller, addresses Vaṭodbhava; behind him, a faint vignette of Devī and Śiva’s dialogue indicates the source of the teaching.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Devī (Pārvatī)
• Sarvajña (Śiva, implied)
• Vaṭodbhava

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred knowledge is preserved through faithful hearing and retelling; Skanda positions the teaching as coming from the omniscient Śiva.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ongoing context is Kāśī’s Ānandakānana/Ānandavana and its Liṅga-māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicit emphasis on śravaṇa (listening) as a devotional discipline; no explicit rite is stated.