Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

अगस्त्य उवाच । कृप्णद्वैपायनः स्कंद शंभुभक्तिपरो यदि । यदि क्षेत्ररहस्यज्ञः क्षेत्रसंन्यासकृद्यदि

Transliteration

agastya uvāca | kṛpṇadvaipāyanaḥ skaṃda śaṃbhubhaktiparo yadi | yadi kṣetrarahasyajñaḥ kṣetrasaṃnyāsakṛdyadi

Translation

Agastya said: O Skanda, if Kṛṣṇa-Dvaipāyana (Vyāsa) is devoted in bhakti to Śambhu (Śiva), if he knows the secret truths of the sacred kṣetra, and if he is one who establishes renunciation (saṃnyāsa) with respect to the kṣetra—

Word by Word

• अगस्त्यः: Agastya
• अगस्त्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अगस्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु) → उवाच
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• कृप्णद्वैपायनः: Kṛṣṇa-Dvaipāyana (Vyāsa)
• कृप्णद्वैपायनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण + द्वैपायन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (कृष्णश्चासौ द्वैपायनः) — व्यासस्य नाम

• स्कन्द: O Skanda
• स्कन्द: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्कन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• शंभुभक्तिपरः: devoted to Śambhu (Śiva)
• शंभुभक्तिपरः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शंभु + भक्ति + पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (शंभौ भक्तिः यस्य सः/भक्तौ परः) — विशेषणम् (कृष्णद्वैपायनः)

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Condition marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; शर्तार्थक-निपातः (conditional particle)

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Condition marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; शर्तार्थक-निपातः

• क्षेत्ररहस्यज्ञः: knower of the sacred-field’s secret
• क्षेत्ररहस्यज्ञः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्षेत्र + रहस्य + ज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (क्षेत्रस्य रहस्यं जानाति) — विशेषणम् (कृष्णद्वैपायनः)

• क्षेत्रसंन्यासकृत्: one who performs renunciation in the sacred field
• क्षेत्रसंन्यासकृत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्षेत्र + संन्यास + कृत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (क्षेत्रे संन्यासं करोति) — विशेषणम् (कृष्णद्वैपायनः)

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Condition marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; शर्तार्थक-निपातः

Speaker

Agastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vārāṇasī/Kāśī (as kṣetra-rahasya subject)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Agastya, seated in ascetic posture, questions Skanda about Vyāsa’s devotion and knowledge of Kāśī’s secrets; a hermitage setting with a distant suggestion of Kāśī’s ghats/temples as the topic of discourse.

Characters & Entities

• Agastya
• Skanda
• Kṛṣṇa-Dvaipāyana (Vyāsa)
• Śambhu (Śiva)
• Kāśī-kṣetra (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True authority in sacred matters is linked with devotion to Śiva and insight into the inner ‘secret’ of the holy kṣetra.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse frames the discussion around the ‘kṣetra’—in context, Kāśī—whose esoteric greatness is being examined.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It alludes to kṣetra-saṃnyāsa (renunciation connected with the sacred field), setting up the narrative explanation.