Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 73

Devanagari script

स्कंद उवाच । देवदेवेन विंध्यारे केदार महिमा महान् । इत्याख्यायि पुरांबायै मया तेपि निरूपितः

Transliteration

skaṃda uvāca | devadevena viṃdhyāre kedāra mahimā mahān | ityākhyāyi purāṃbāyai mayā tepi nirūpitaḥ

Translation

Skanda dit : Ainsi, jadis, le Dieu des dieux raconta à la Mère Pārvatī la grande gloire de Kedāra dans la région des Vindhya ; ce même récit, je l’ai moi aussi exposé pour toi.

Word by Word

• स्कन्दः: Skanda
• स्कन्दः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्कन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• देवदेवेन: by the God of gods
• देवदेवेन: Karana (Instrument/Agentive-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव-देव (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/सह), एकवचन; देवदेवः = देवानां देवः (अर्थतः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषभावोऽपि), व्यवहारतः कर्मधारय-रूढि ‘God of gods’

• विन्ध्यारे: in the Vindhya forest/region
• विन्ध्यारे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विन्ध्य-अर (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; विन्ध्ये अरः/अरण्ये इति (स्थलवाचक)

• केदारः: Kedāra
• केदारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केदार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• महिमा: greatness, glory
• महिमा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महिमा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• महान्: great
• महान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (महिमा/केदारः)

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/समाप्त्यर्थक-अव्यय (quotative)

• आख्यायि: was narrated
• आख्यायि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + ख्या (धातु)
• Form: लुङ्-लकार (अद्यतनभूत/Aorist), आत्मनेपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; ‘was narrated/was told’ (कर्मणि-प्रयोगः)

• पुराम्बायै: to Purāmbā
• पुराम्बायै: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरा + अम्बा (प्रातिपदिक; समास/उपपद)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (सम्प्रदान), एकवचन; पुराम्बा = पुरा (नगर) + अम्बा (माता) ‘Mother of the city’ (रूढ-नाम)

• मया: by me
• मया: Kartr-karana (Agent in passive/कर्ता-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी/षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अत्र ‘तुभ्यम्/ते’ (to you) इति चतुर्थी-सम्प्रदानार्थे

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्भावन/समुच्चय-अव्यय (particle: also)

• निरूपितः: described, set forth
• निरूपितः: Kriya (Predicative participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: निर् + रूप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि-भावः ‘explained/described’

Speaker

Skanda (explicit)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra (Vindhya)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: The immediate audience addressed as ‘te’ (you); within Kāśīkhaṇḍa typically sages/devotees seeking guidance

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A three-tier narrative tableau: Śiva (Deva-deva) teaching Pārvatī about Vindhya-Kedāra; below, Skanda repeats the account to attentive listeners; the Vindhya hills appear in the background as the sacred setting.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Śiva (Devadeva)
• Pārvatī (Ambā)
• Vindhya
• Kedāra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic authority is established through a sacred lineage of transmission, grounding the māhātmya in divine speech.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kedāra (Kedāreśvara tradition), referenced as a revered locus whose greatness is worth repeating.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse frames the narrative as an authoritative māhātmya account.