Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

स्कंद उवाच । आकर्णय मुने वच्मि कथां कल्मषहारिणीम् । पुरश्चरणकामोसौ दक्षः काशीं समाययौ

Transliteration

skaṃda uvāca | ākarṇaya mune vacmi kathāṃ kalmaṣahāriṇīm | puraścaraṇakāmosau dakṣaḥ kāśīṃ samāyayau

Translation

Skanda dijo: «Escucha, oh sabio; te relataré una historia que disipa la impureza. Dakṣa, deseoso de realizar el puraścaraṇa (observancias devocionales preparatorias), llegó a Kāśī».

Word by Word

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

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (Perfect, Parasmaipada, 3rd person, Singular)

• आकर्णय: listen
• आकर्णय: Kriya (Command/आज्ञा)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + कर्णय् (धातु: कर्णय्/कर्ण् ‘to hear’, causative sense)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन (Imperative, Parasmaipada, 2nd person, Singular)

• मुने: O sage
• मुने: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Vocative, Singular)

• वच्मि: I speak, I will tell
• वच्मि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन (Present, Parasmaipada, 1st person, Singular)

• कथाम्: story, account
• कथाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Accusative, Singular)

• कल्मषहारिणीम्: sin-removing
• कल्मषहारिणीम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कल्मष + हारिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (Feminine, Accusative, Singular; ‘removing sin’)

• पुरश्चरणकामः: desirous of performing a preparatory rite (puraścaraṇa)
• पुरश्चरणकामः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुरश्चरण + काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (Masculine, Nominative, Singular; ‘desirous of performing puraścaraṇa’)

• असौ: that (person)
• असौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असद्/अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक: अदस्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular; demonstrative pronoun)

• दक्षः: Dakṣa
• दक्षः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• काशीम्: Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• काशीम्: Karma (Goal/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Accusative, Singular)

• समाययौ: came, arrived
• समाययौ: Kriya (Motion/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + या (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (Perfect, Parasmaipada, 3rd person, Singular)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (as locus for puraścaraṇa and kathā-śravaṇa)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Muni (unnamed in this verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Skanda, as divine teacher, addresses a sage: ‘Listen, I will tell a impurity-destroying story.’ In the narrative frame, Dakṣa arrives at Kāśī intent on puraścaraṇa—pilgrim’s resolve meeting the city’s sanctity.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Dakṣa
• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is portrayed as a supreme purifier, and disciplined practice (puraścaraṇa) undertaken there supports deep spiritual cleansing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) as the kṣetra where impurity is removed and Śiva-related worship bears swift fruit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Puraścaraṇa—structured preparatory worship (commonly japa with vows/observances)—is explicitly referenced.