Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

श्रुतिघोषो हि सर्वत्र शास्त्रवादः पदेपदे । सर्वत्र सुभगालापा मुदामंगलगीतयः

Transliteration

śrutighoṣo hi sarvatra śāstravādaḥ padepade | sarvatra subhagālāpā mudāmaṃgalagītayaḥ

Translation

Partout retentissait la psalmodie de la śruti ; à chaque pas se tenait l’enseignement du śāstra ; et en tous lieux s’élevaient de gracieuses paroles et des chants joyeux de bon augure.

Word by Word

• śruti-ghoṣaḥ: sound of Vedic recitation
• śruti-ghoṣaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śruti (प्रातिपदिक) + ghoṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—‘श्रुतेः घोषः’

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थक/निश्चयार्थक (indeed/for)

• sarvatra: everywhere
• sarvatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sarvatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (everywhere)

• śāstra-vādaḥ: scriptural discourse
• śāstra-vādaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śāstra (प्रातिपदिक) + vāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—‘शास्त्रस्य वादः’

• pade-pade: at every step
• pade-pade: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोगः; सप्तमी-द्विवचन-रूपेण पुनरुक्तिः (locative reduplication) = ‘at every step/place’

• sarvatra: everywhere
• sarvatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sarvatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (everywhere)

• subhaga-ālāpāḥ: pleasant talks
• subhaga-ālāpāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: subhaga (प्रातिपदिक) + ālāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः—‘सुभगाः आल्पाः’ (pleasant conversations)

• mudā-maṅgala-gītayaḥ: joyful auspicious songs
• mudā-maṅgala-gītayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mudā (प्रातिपदिक) + maṅgala (प्रातिपदिक) + gīti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः—‘मुदया (सह) मङ्गल-गीतयः’ = auspicious songs with joy

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: pilgrimage-inquirer within the Purāṇic frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kāśī alive with sound: Vedic students chanting in courtyards, scholars debating at crossroads, women and men singing maṅgala songs near shrines; banners, lamps, and temple spires frame the scene.

Characters & Entities

• Divodāsa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Where dharma prevails, sacred sound, scriptural reflection, and auspicious speech become the culture of daily life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī’s identity as a city of mantra, śāstra, and maṅgala is echoed through this portrayal of pervasive sacred recitation.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, regular śruti recitation and śāstra discussion are upheld as meritorious daily practices.