Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 93

Devanagari script

स्वकर्णविषयीकुर्वन्नितिपुण्यकथामिमाम् । क्षणादालोकयांचक्रे महेंद्रस्य महापुरीम्

Transliteration

svakarṇaviṣayīkurvannitipuṇyakathāmimām | kṣaṇādālokayāṃcakre maheṃdrasya mahāpurīm

Translation

Ayant ainsi fait entrer en son oreille ce récit méritoire, en un instant il contempla la grande cité de Mahendra (Indra).

Word by Word

• स्वकर्णविषयीकुर्वन्: listening (making it an object of his ears)
• स्वकर्णविषयीकुर्वन्: Kartṛ (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + कर्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + विषयीकृ (नामधातु/धातु)
• Form: समास/समुच्चय-रचना: स्वकर्ण-विषयी-कृ (to make into the range of one’s ears = to listen); वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• इति: thus
• इति: Vākyasaṃbandha (Discourse marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समाप्तिसूचक/quotative): ‘thus’

• पुण्यकथाम्: the holy story
• पुण्यकथाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक) + कथा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (पुण्या कथा); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• इमाम्: this
• इमाम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying ‘कथाम्’)

• क्षणात्: in a moment
• क्षणात्: Apādāna (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; ‘within a moment/from a moment’

• आलोकयाम्: beheld/saw
• आलोकयाम्: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + लोक् (धातु) → आलोकया (णिच् causative stem)
• Form: णिच्-प्रत्ययान्त causative stem in periphrastic perfect construction; here used with ‘चक्रे’ (कृ) as auxiliary: ‘caused to see / beheld’ (object in accusative)

• चक्रे: did (aux.: ‘beheld’)
• चक्रे: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; सहायकक्रिया (auxiliary) with ‘आलोकयाम्’

• महेंद्रस्य: of Mahendra (Indra)
• महेंद्रस्य: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• महापुरीम्: the great city
• महापुरीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + पुरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (महती पुरी); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahendrapurī (Indra’s city)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya / sages (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage, having listened intently, suddenly beholds a shimmering celestial metropolis with jeweled gates and cloud-borne palaces—Indra’s Mahendrapurī—appearing like a mirage of light.

Characters & Entities

• Mahendra (Indra)
• Indra-purī (Amarāvatī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śravaṇa (devout listening) to sacred narratives is itself a means to spiritual elevation and divine vision.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative belongs to Kāśī’s Kāśīkhaṇḍa setting, though this verse references Indra’s celestial city.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The implied practice is attentive hearing of the puṇya-kathā, presented as spiritually transformative.