Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

कृतप्रतिज्ञौ तो तूर्णं प्राप्य वाराणसीं पुरीम् । शंकुकर्णमहाकालौ विस्मृत्य शांभवीं गिरम्

Transliteration

kṛtapratijñau to tūrṇaṃ prāpya vārāṇasīṃ purīm | śaṃkukarṇamahākālau vismṛtya śāṃbhavīṃ giram

Translation

Bien qu’ils eussent pris une résolution ferme, dès qu’ils atteignirent promptement la cité de Vārāṇasī, Śaṅkukarṇa et Mahākāla oublièrent même les paroles de Śambhu (Śiva).

Word by Word

• कृतप्रतिज्ञौ: having made a vow
• कृतप्रतिज्ञौ: Visheshana (Adjective of subject/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत + प्रतिज्ञा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन (Dual); “कृता प्रतिज्ञा याभ्याम्” (having made a vow)

• तौ: those two
• तौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन (Dual)

• तूर्णम्: quickly
• तूर्णम्: Kriya-viseshana (Adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तूर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb)

• प्राप्य: having reached
• प्राप्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त (gerund/absolutive), “having reached”

• वाराणसीम्: Vārāṇasī
• वाराणसीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाराणसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• पुरीम्: the city
• पुरीम्: Karma (Appositional object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); वाराणसीम् इति विशेष्यस्य अप्पोजिशन (apposition)

• शंकुकर्णमहाकालौ: Śaṅkukarṇa and Mahākāla
• शंकुकर्णमहाकालौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शंकुकर्ण + महाकाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन (Dual)

• विस्मृत्य: having forgotten
• विस्मृत्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त (gerund/absolutive), “having forgotten”

• शांभवीम्: Śāmbhavī (of Śambhu/Shiva’s)
• शांभवीम्: Visheshana (Adjective of object/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शांभवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• गिरम्: speech/utterance
• गिरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गिर् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration, commonly Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śaṅkukarṇa and Mahākāla arrive swiftly at Kāśī; their determined faces soften into stunned forgetfulness, as if a luminous wave from the city erases their prepared speech.

Characters & Entities

• Śaṅkukarṇa
• Mahākāla
• Vārāṇasī
• Śambhu (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s divine potency can overwhelm ordinary mental resolve; spiritual focus must be guarded even in holy places.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vārāṇasī/Kāśī, portrayed as so spiritually charged that it alters perception and memory.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the emphasis is on inner discipline (smṛti) amid sacred influence.