Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

तस्यैवं ब्रुवतो धातुः क्रतुर्नारायणांशजः । प्रोवाच प्रहसन्वाक्यं रोषताम्रविलोचनः

Transliteration

tasyaivaṃ bruvato dhātuḥ kraturnārāyaṇāṃśajaḥ | provāca prahasanvākyaṃ roṣatāmravilocanaḥ

Translation

Tandis que Dhātṛ parlait ainsi, Kratu —le créateur, né d’une parcelle de Nārāyaṇa— rit et répondit, les yeux rouge cuivre de colère.

Word by Word

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण/adverb (thus)

• ब्रुवतः: of (him) speaking
• ब्रुवतः: Sambandha (Genitive absolute-like: 'while he was speaking')
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रुवत् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √ब्रू, शतृ)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (present active participle); पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• धातुः: Dhātu (a name)
• धातुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धातु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• क्रतुः: Kratu (a name)
• क्रतुः: Karta (Apposition/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रतु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; धातोः विशेषण/समानााधिकरण

• नारायणांशजः: born from a portion of Nārāyaṇa
• नारायणांशजः: Karta (Apposition/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारायण + अंश + ज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘नारायणस्य अंशः’ + तदुत्पन्नः (ज)

• प्रोवाच: said/spoke
• प्रोवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-√वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• प्रहसन्: laughing
• प्रहसन्: Sambandha (Concomitant action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-√हस् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (present active participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत् (while laughing)

• वाक्यम्: a statement/words
• वाक्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाक्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• रोषताम्रविलोचनः: whose eyes were coppery-red with anger
• रोषताम्रविलोचनः: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रोष + ताम्र + विलोचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय: ‘रोषेण ताम्रे विलोचने यस्य’ (descriptive epithet)

Speaker

Narrator (describing Kratu’s response)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kratu/Dhātṛ figure turns with a sharp laugh; copper-red eyes, tense brow; surrounding devas recoil; the opposing speaker remains poised, radiating authority.

Characters & Entities

• Kratu
• Nārāyaṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Egoic claims about supremacy provoke contention; the text frames a debate that will be settled by valid authority (pramāṇa).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the overarching sacred setting, but no individual tīrtha is specified in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is narrative, introducing a disputant’s reaction.