Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

गणावूचतुः । शिवशर्मन्नुदर्कं ते कथयावो निशामय । त्वमत्र वैष्णवे लोके भुक्त्वा भोगान्सुपुष्कलान्

Transliteration

gaṇāvūcatuḥ | śivaśarmannudarkaṃ te kathayāvo niśāmaya | tvamatra vaiṣṇave loke bhuktvā bhogānsupuṣkalān

Translation

Les serviteurs dirent : «Ô Śivaśarman, écoute ; nous te dirons la suite de ton destin. Ici, dans le monde de Viṣṇu, tu jouiras de délices en abondance».

Word by Word

• gaṇāḥ: the attendants (gaṇas)
• gaṇāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• ūcatuḥ: said (the two said)
• ūcatuḥ: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), द्विवचन

• śivaśarman: O Śivaśarman
• śivaśarman: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śivaśarman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• udarkam: the outcome / result
• udarkam: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: udarka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• te: your
• te: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive) एकवचन (enclitic)

• kathayāvaḥ: we two tell
• kathayāvaḥ: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kathaya (धातु; denominative from kathā)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, उत्तमपुरुष (1st), द्विवचन

• niśāmaya: listen / pay attention
• niśāmaya: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-śam (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• vaiṣṇave: Vaiṣṇava
• vaiṣṇave: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vaiṣṇava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; विशेषण (to loke)

• loke: in the world
• loke: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• bhuktvā: having enjoyed
• bhuktvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhuj (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive)

• bhogān: enjoyments
• bhogān: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhoga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• supuṣkalān: very abundant
• supuṣkalān: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण of bhogān)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su-puṣkala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; उपसर्ग 'su-' (well/very) + puṣkala

Speaker

Gaṇas (attendants) speaking to Śivaśarman

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (implied as the merit-source)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: audience of the māhātmya; within story: Śivaśarman is addressed

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two gaṇas address Śivaśarman, gesturing toward a luminous gateway to Vaiṣṇava-loka; celestial gardens and apsaras silhouettes hinted beyond, while Kāśī’s ghāṭa/temple architecture anchors the foreground.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṇa
• Śivaśarman
• Viṣṇu (Vaiṣṇava-loka)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Merit acquired through dharmic life and sacred association bears fruit beyond death, granting higher worlds and refined enjoyments.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative belongs to the Kāśī-khaṇḍa setting, where Kāśī’s sanctity underwrites the promised spiritual outcomes.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed here; it introduces a phala (future result) being narrated to Śivaśarman.