Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

नान्य शब्दग्रहौ तस्य जातौ शब्दग्रहावपि । विना मुकुंद गोविंद दामोदर चतुर्भुज

Transliteration

nānya śabdagrahau tasya jātau śabdagrahāvapi | vinā mukuṃda goviṃda dāmodara caturbhuja

Translation

Aucune autre parole ne doit être saisie par sa voix, aucune du tout, sinon : Mukunda, Govinda, Dāmodara et Caturbhuja.

Word by Word

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध

• अन्यौ: two others
• अन्यौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन

• शब्दग्रहौ: two apprehensions/usages of the word
• शब्दग्रहौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śabda + graha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (शब्दस्य ग्रहौ)

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंस, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• जातौ: in the class/category (sense)
• जातौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jāti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• शब्दग्रहौ: two word-usages
• शब्दग्रहौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śabda + graha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

• अपि: also, even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अपि-कार (also/even)

• विना: without, except
• विना: Sambandha (Exclusion/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vinā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; वर्जने (without/except)

• मुकुन्द: O Mukunda
• मुकुन्द: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mukunda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• गोविन्द: O Govinda
• गोविन्द: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: govinda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• दामोदर: O Dāmodara
• दामोदर: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāmodara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• चतुर्भुज: O four-armed one
• चतुर्भुज: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: catur + bhuja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि (चत्वारो भुजाः यस्य)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee walking through Kāśī lanes with prayer beads, lips softly forming the four names; the names appear as luminous syllables around the head, while temple bells and river breeze suggest sacred soundscape.

Characters & Entities

• Mukunda
• Govinda
• Dāmodara
• Caturbhuja
• Kāśī (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purify speech by fastening it to divine names; sacred utterance is presented as a direct form of devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Within Kāśīkhaṇḍa, Kāśī forms the devotional landscape where nāma-japa is portrayed as highly meritorious.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A practical vow-like discipline is implied: let one’s speech repeatedly take only the Lord’s names (nāma-japa).