Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 89

Devanagari script

वागिंद्रियं तदीयं च प्रोच्चरत्तदहर्निशम् । नामांतरं न गृह्णाति क्वचिदन्यस्यकस्यचित्

Transliteration

vāgiṃdriyaṃ tadīyaṃ ca proccarattadaharniśam | nāmāṃtaraṃ na gṛhṇāti kvacidanyasyakasyacit

Translation

Son organe de parole, entièrement voué à Lui, prononçait ce Nom jour et nuit; jamais il ne prenait aucun autre nom de qui que ce soit.

Word by Word

• vāk: speech
• vāk: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāc (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• indriyam: sense-organ (organ)
• indriyam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: indriya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘वाक्-इन्द्रियम्’ इति समन्वयः (speech-organ)

• tadīyam: belonging to him/that
• tadīyam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tadīya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक-विशेषणम् (his/that one’s)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha/Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• proccarat: utters, pronounces
• proccarat: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + √car (चर्)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (वर्तमान), प्रथमा-पुरुषः, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; ‘प्र-उच्चरति’ अर्थे (उच्चारणं करोति)

• tat: that (name/thing)
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• aharniśam: day and night
• aharniśam: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ahar + niśā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाववत् क्रियाविशेषण-प्रयोगः; द्वन्द्वसमासः (अहः च निशा च) → ‘अहर्निशम्’ (day and night)

• nāmāntaram: another name
• nāmāntaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāma + antara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (नाम्नः अन्तरम् = अन्यत् नाम)

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• gṛhṇāti: takes, accepts
• gṛhṇāti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √grah (ग्रह्)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (वर्तमान), प्रथमा-पुरुषः, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• kvacit: ever/anywhere
• kvacit: Adhikarana (Place/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kvacit (अव्यय)
• Form: देश/कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: at any time/anywhere)

• anyasya: of another
• anyasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; ‘कस्य?’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• kasyacit: of someone (any)
• kasyacit: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अनिश्चितार्थक-प्रयोगः (somebody’s)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśī Khaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devoted woman (Mādhavī) in a Kāśī shrine, lips softly moving in ceaseless japa; the air is filled with subtle script-like syllables floating toward the deity.

Characters & Entities

• Nāma (the Name)
• Oṃkāra/Praṇava (implied as the uttered focus)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Single-pointed nāma-japa (exclusive remembrance) purifies speech and fixes the mind on the liberating divine reality.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī remains the implied sacred setting where constant remembrance of the divine Name is praised as supremely efficacious.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Constant japa/utterance of the chosen divine Name (implied to be Oṃkāra/Praṇava in this adhyāya’s context).