Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

श्रुत्युक्तमिदमाकर्ण्य प्रोचतुस्तौ श्रुतीः प्रति । युष्मदुक्तं प्रमाणं नौ किं तत्त्वं सम्यगुच्यताम्

Transliteration

śrutyuktamidamākarṇya procatustau śrutīḥ prati | yuṣmaduktaṃ pramāṇaṃ nau kiṃ tattvaṃ samyagucyatām

Translation

Entendant ces paroles de la Śruti, les deux répondirent aux Śrutis : «Énoncez pour nous l’autorité dont vous parlez ; quelle est la Réalité ? Dites-la avec justesse.»

Word by Word

• श्रुति: of the Śruti
• श्रुति: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रुति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (समासान्तर्गत)

• उक्तम्: said
• उक्तम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; ‘said’

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• आकर्ण्य: having heard
• आकर्ण्य: Sambandha (Prior action/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ-√कर्ण्/√कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive): ‘having heard’

• प्रोचतुः: they spoke
• प्रोचतुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), द्विवचन; परस्मैपद

• तौ: those two
• तौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन

• श्रुतीः: to the Śrutis
• श्रुतीः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रुति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• प्रति: towards
• प्रति: Sambandha (Direction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपसर्गसदृश/पूर्वसर्ग (preposition: towards)

• युष्मद्: of you
• युष्मद्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन (समासान्तर्गत)

• उक्तम्: spoken (by you)
• उक्तम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (प्रमाणम्)

• प्रमाणम्: authority/means of knowledge
• प्रमाणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रमाण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• नौ: to us / for us
• नौ: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी/षष्ठी (4th/6th: Dative/Genitive), द्विवचन; सर्वनाम

• किम्: what?
• किम्: Karma (Interrogative object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• तत्त्वम्: reality
• तत्त्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तत्त्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• सम्यक्: properly
• सम्यक्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्यक् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (properly, correctly)

• उच्यताम्: let it be stated
• उच्यताम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive): ‘let it be said’

Speaker

Vidhi and Kratu

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vidhi and Kratu, having listened, now request a correct and complete statement of pramāṇa and ultimate reality; the Śrutis are poised to answer.

Characters & Entities

• Śrutis

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Humility before authoritative revelation is the proper method for resolving uncertainty about ultimate reality.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None; it is a doctrinal inquiry within the Kāśī narrative frame.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.