Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 114

Devanagari script

अतः परं कलशज किं शुश्रूषसि तद्वद । काशीकथा कथ्यमाना ममापि परितोषकृत्

Transliteration

ataḥ paraṃ kalaśaja kiṃ śuśrūṣasi tadvada | kāśīkathā kathyamānā mamāpi paritoṣakṛt

Translation

À présent, ô Kalaśaja (Agastya), que désires-tu encore entendre ? Dis-le. Car le récit sacré de Kāśī, lorsqu’il est conté, apporte la joie même à mon cœur.

Word by Word

• अतः: thereafter
• अतः: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अतः (अव्यय; तद्-तसिल्)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त-अव्यय (hence/thereafter)

• परम्: further/next
• परम्: Sambandha (Sequencing/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावार्थे अव्यय (further/next)

• कलशज: O Kalaśaja (Agastya)
• कलशज: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलश + ज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन

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

• शुश्रूषसि: do you wish to hear/attend to
• शुश्रूषसि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; desiderative sense ‘to wish to hear/serve’ from शुश्रूष् (इच्छार्थक)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; निर्देश्य

• वद: say (tell)
• वद: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• काशीकथा: the story of Kāśī
• काशीकथा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी + कथा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कथ्यमाना: being narrated
• कथ्यमाना: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कथ् (धातु)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि-वर्तमानकृदन्त (passive present participle)

• मम: of me/to me
• मम: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Addition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-कारार्थक-अव्यय (also/even)

• परितोषकृत्: causing satisfaction
• परितोषकृत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परितोष + कृ (धातु; क्विप्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त ‘कृत्’)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्तरि-प्रयोगे कृदन्त (one that causes satisfaction)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kathā (māhātmya-śravaṇa)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya (Kalaśaja)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Skanda in a teaching posture addresses Agastya; a calm hermitage setting with palm-leaf manuscripts; subtle vision of Kāśī ghats appearing like a mirage behind them, indicating kathā conjures the kṣetra.

Characters & Entities

• Agastya (Kalaśaja)
• Kāśī (as topic)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Hearing and narrating Kāśī’s glory is itself meritorious and joy-giving, even for divine speakers.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī broadly, through the act of Kāśī-kathā (the sacred narrative of Vārāṇasī).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No formal rite—this verse elevates śravaṇa (listening) and kathana (narration) as devotional practice.