Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 87

Devanagari script

इति यावद्वरं दत्ते पितृभ्यो वृषभध्वजः । तावन्नदी समागत्य प्रणम्येशं व्यजिज्ञपत्

Transliteration

iti yāvadvaraṃ datte pitṛbhyo vṛṣabhadhvajaḥ | tāvannadī samāgatya praṇamyeśaṃ vyajijñapat

Translation

Tandis que Vṛṣabhadhvaja accordait ainsi une grâce aux ancêtres, la rivière arriva, se prosterna devant le Seigneur et posa une question avec respect.

Word by Word

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इति-शब्दः (quotative particle/‘thus’)

• यावत्: as long as; until
• यावत्: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; काल-परिमाणवाचक (as long as/while)

• वरम्: boon
• वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Accusative singular)

• दत्ते: gives
• दत्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; √दा (to give)

• पितृभ्यः: to the fathers/ancestors
• पितृभ्यः: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Dative plural)

• वृषभध्वजः: the one whose banner is the bull (Śiva)
• वृषभध्वजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृषभ (प्रातिपदिक) + ध्वज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (वृषभस्य ध्वजः)

• तावत्: meanwhile; then
• तावत्: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तावत्-शब्दः (so long/then)

• नदी: the river (Gaṅgā)
• नदी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Nominative singular)

• समागत्य: having come
• समागत्य: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund); √गम् (to go) with उपसर्ग सम्+आ; ‘having come/arrived’

• प्रणम्य: having bowed
• प्रणम्य: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + नम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund); √नम् (to bow) with उपसर्ग प्र; ‘having bowed’

• ईशम्: the Lord (Īśa/Śiva)
• ईशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Accusative singular)

• व्यजिज्ञपत्: informed; made a request
• व्यजिज्ञपत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + ज्ञप् (धातु)
• Form: लुङ्-लकार (Aorist/Imperfective past), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; √ज्ञप् (to inform/request) with उपसर्ग वि; reduplicated aorist formation

Speaker

Narrator (Skanda) describing events

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī–Gaṅgā (implicit)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva (Vṛṣabhadhvaja) seated in serene majesty, granting boons to assembled pitṛs; Gaṅgā as a radiant river-goddess arrives, bows, and asks a question with folded hands; Kāśī’s ghats and a luminous liṅga-shrine suggested in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Vṛṣabhadhvaja (Śiva)
• Pitṛs
• River (Nadī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even sacred rivers approach the Lord with humility; divine boons flow through reverence and proper inquiry.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The scene remains anchored in the Vṛṣabhadhvaja/Vṛṣadhvaja tīrtha setting within Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a narrative connector marking the arrival of the river and the continuation of the tīrtha-māhātmya.