Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

पुरा राथंतरे कल्पे यदभूदत्र तच्छृणु । अपर्णे दत्तकर्णा त्वं वर्णयामि तवाग्रतः

Transliteration

purā rāthaṃtare kalpe yadabhūdatra tacchṛṇu | aparṇe dattakarṇā tvaṃ varṇayāmi tavāgrataḥ

Translation

Écoute ce qui advint ici jadis, dans le kalpa Rāthaṃtara. Ô Aparṇā, sois tout entière attentive ; je vais le raconter devant toi.

Word by Word

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Time adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (adverb: formerly)

• राथन्तरे: in the Rāthantara (named)
• राथन्तरे: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: राथन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘kalpe’)

• कल्पे: in the kalpa
• कल्पे: Adhikaraṇa (Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• यत्: what
• यत्: Karma (Object of ‘śṛṇu’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun)

• अभूत्: happened/was
• अभूत्: Kriyā (Verb in relative clause)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/past); प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (adverb: here)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object of ‘śṛṇu’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; निर्देश (correlative)

• शृणु: listen
• शृणु: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative); मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अपर्णे: O Aparṇā
• अपर्णे: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अपर्णा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative/Nominative used as address), एकवचन

• दत्तकर्णा: O attentive one
• दत्तकर्णा: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दत्त-कर्णा (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन-प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः: दत्तः कर्णः यस्याः/या (one with ‘given/attentive’ ears; attentive)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• वर्णयामि: I describe/tell
• वर्णयामि: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वर्णय्/√वर्ण (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present); उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तव: to you/your
• तव: Sampradāna/Sambandha (to you/for you)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• अग्रतः: in your presence
• अग्रतः: Adhikaraṇa (Presence/location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अग्रतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; स्थानवाचक (adverb: in front/presence)

Speaker

Śiva (deduced from direct address to Aparṇā = Pārvatī, common Śiva–Pārvatī frame)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Aparṇā (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Skanda addresses Aparṇā (Pārvatī), inviting attentive listening; behind them, a stylized map-like Kāśī landscape with a highlighted lake/ghāṭ. A cosmic backdrop hints at kalpa-time—stars, lotus of creation, and a scroll-like narrative unfurling.

Characters & Entities

• Rāthaṃtara Kalpa
• Aparṇā (Pārvatī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places are explained through kalpa-based divine history; attentive listening to dharma-kathā is itself meritorious.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The immediate setting remains the ‘here’ of the chapter—Kāśī’s Hara-pāpa-hrada region—whose origin story is about to be told.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed; it introduces a purāṇic account to be heard with attention.