Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । भगवन्भूतभव्येश सर्वज्ञानमहानिधे । अवाप्य काशीं गीर्वाणैः किमकारि वदाच्युत

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | bhagavanbhūtabhavyeśa sarvajñānamahānidhe | avāpya kāśīṃ gīrvāṇaiḥ kimakāri vadācyuta

Translation

Sūta dit : Ô Bienheureux, Seigneur du passé et de l’avenir, grand trésor de toute connaissance — étant parvenu à Kāśī avec les dieux, qu’y fit-on ? Dis-le-moi, ô Infaillible.

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta
• सूतः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (वचने) (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• भगवन्: O Lord
• भगवन्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• भूतभव्येश: O Lord of past and future
• भूतभव्येश: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूत (प्रातिपदिक) + भविष्यत्/भव्य (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; समासः—भूतस्य च भव्यस्य च ईशः (द्वन्द्व-पूर्वपद + षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष-प्राय)

• सर्वज्ञानमहानिधे: O great treasure of all knowledge
• सर्वज्ञानमहानिधे: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + ज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक) + महा (प्रातिपदिक) + निधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; समासः—सर्वज्ञानस्य महान् निधिः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• अवाप्य: having reached
• अवाप्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अव-आप् (धातु) √आप् (प्राप्तौ) + ल्यप्
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); ‘having obtained/reached’

• काशीम्: Kāśī
• काशीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• गीर्वाणैः: by the gods (devas)
• गीर्वाणैः: Karana (Instrument/Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गीर्वाण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• किम्: what
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम

• अकारि: was done
• अकारि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (करणे) (धातु)
• Form: लुङ्-लकार (Aorist), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्/कर्मणि-प्रयोग-प्रायः—‘was done’

• वद: tell
• वद: Kriya (Request/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वद् (वदने) (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• अच्युत: O Acyuta
• अच्युत: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अच्युत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (explicit)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A revered sage addressed as ‘Acyuta’ in the verse (contextual addressee within the dialogue frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta, seated in a forest-assembly or sacred recitation hall, addresses a revered sage with folded hands, asking about the divine events in Kāśī alongside the gods.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Gīrvāṇa (Devas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The verse sets a reverent inquiry-framework, presenting Kāśī as a divine theater worthy of detailed remembrance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) is explicitly named as the sacred destination.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it introduces a narrative inquiry about deeds performed in Kāśī.