Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

व्यास उवाच । शृणु सूत यथा प्रोक्तं कुंभजे शरजन्मना । देवदेवस्य चरितं विश्वेशस्य परात्मनः

Transliteration

vyāsa uvāca | śṛṇu sūta yathā proktaṃ kuṃbhaje śarajanmanā | devadevasya caritaṃ viśveśasya parātmanaḥ

Translation

Vyāsa said: “Listen, O Sūta, to what was declared by the pot-born sage and the reed-born one: the divine deeds of the God of gods, Viśveśa, the Supreme Self.”

Word by Word

• व्यासः: Vyāsa
• व्यासः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन

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

• शृणु: listen
• शृणु: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative); मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person); एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सूत: O Sūta
• सूत: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; संबोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन); एकवचन

• यथा: as
• यथा: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; यथार्थे/प्रकारे (as/how)

• प्रोक्तम्: told, spoken
• प्रोक्तम्: Karma (Object complement/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्र-वच् (धातु)
• Form: कृत (past passive participle, क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन; ‘said/told’

• कुम्भजे: in/with Kumbhaja (Agastya)
• कुम्भजे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुम्भज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी; एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—कुम्भात् जातः (born from a pot) = अगस्त्यः

• शरजन्मना: by Śarajanman (Skanda)
• शरजन्मना: Karana (Instrument/Agent-instrumental)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर + जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया; एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—शरे जातः (born in reeds) = स्कन्दः; करण/सहचर्ये

• देवदेवस्य: of the god of gods
• देवदेवस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी; एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—देवानां देवः

• चरितम्: deeds, narrative
• चरितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चरित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन

• विश्वेशस्य: of Viśveśa (Lord of the universe)
• विश्वेशस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्व + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी; एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—विश्वस्य ईशः (lord of the universe)

• परात्मनः: of the Supreme Self
• परात्मनः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी; एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—परः आत्मा (supreme self)

Speaker

Vyāsa

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Viśveśa/Viśvanātha (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sūta

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vyāsa addresses Sūta, urging him to listen to what Agastya (Kumbhaja) and Skanda (Śarajanman) declared—about the deeds of Viśveśa, the Supreme Self.

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• Sūta
• Agastya (Kumbhaja)
• Skanda (Śarajanman)
• Viśveśa (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred knowledge is preserved through lineage and listening; the deeds of Viśveśa (Śiva of Kāśī) are upheld as spiritually elevating.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Viśveśa of Kāśī (Kashi Vishwanath) is invoked, anchoring the narrative in Kashi’s sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śravaṇa (listening) is implied as the devotional act—“Listen, O Sūta.”