Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

कदाचित्कृष्णमाहूय पूजयित्वा युधिष्ठिरः । पप्रच्छ पुंडरीकाक्षं वासुदेवं जगत्पतिम्

Transliteration

kadācitkṛṣṇamāhūya pūjayitvā yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | papraccha puṃḍarīkākṣaṃ vāsudevaṃ jagatpatim

Translation

Un jour, Yudhiṣṭhira fit venir Kṛṣṇa ; après l’avoir honoré par le culte, il interrogea Vāsudeva aux yeux de lotus, Seigneur du monde.

Word by Word

• कदाचित्: once, at some time
• कदाचित्: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time adjunct/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कदाचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक-क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb: 'at some time/once')

• कृष्णम्: Krishna
• कृष्णम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• आहूय: having summoned
• आहूय: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial participle/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-ह्वे (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund); पूर्वकर्म (having called/summoned)

• पूजयित्वा: having worshipped
• पूजयित्वा: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial participle/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund); पूर्वकर्म (having worshipped)

• युधिष्ठिरः: Yudhiṣṭhira
• युधिष्ठिरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• पप्रच्छ: asked
• पप्रच्छ: Kriyā (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-छ् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular); परस्मैपद

• पुण्डरीकाक्षम्: the lotus-eyed one
• पुण्डरीकाक्षम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्डरीक + अक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (पुण्डरीकस्य अक्षी इव यस्य) नामरूपेण

• वासुदेवम्: Vāsudeva
• वासुदेवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वासुदेव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• जगत्पतिम्: lord of the world
• जगत्पतिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् + पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (जगतः पति:)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Yudhiṣṭhira in royal assembly summons Kṛṣṇa, offers respectful worship (arghya, pādya, puṣpa), then sits with folded hands to ask a dharma-question; Kṛṣṇa, lotus-eyed, serene, accepts honor as Jagatpati.

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Śrī Kṛṣṇa
• Vāsudeva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Approaching divine knowledge begins with reverence—worship, humility, and sincere inquiry.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse introduces the inquiry that leads into the praise of Lakṣmī-tīrtha in the following verses.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pūjā (worship) is performed by Yudhiṣṭhira before asking his question.