Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 117

Devanagari script

इति वीरेश्वराख्यानं तीर्थाख्यानप्रसंगतः । कथितं ते पुरागस्ते कामेशं कथयाम्यतः

Transliteration

iti vīreśvarākhyānaṃ tīrthākhyānaprasaṃgataḥ | kathitaṃ te purāgaste kāmeśaṃ kathayāmyataḥ

Translation

Ainsi, au fil du récit des tīrthas, je t’ai exposé, ô Agastya, l’histoire de Vīreśvara. Maintenant, après cela, je vais te narrer la gloire de Kāmeśa.

Word by Word

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

• वीरेश्वराख्यानम्: the account of Vīreśvara
• वीरेश्वराख्यानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वीरेश्वर + आख्यान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (वीरेश्वरस्य आख्यानम्) (neut. nom./acc. sg.)

• तीर्थाख्यानप्रसंगतः: in connection with the narration of the tīrthas
• तीर्थाख्यानप्रसंगतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तीर्थ + आख्यान + प्रसङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समासः; पञ्चमी-तत्पर्य (प्रसङ्गतः = ‘on the occasion of’) (indeclinable adverbial)

• कथितम्: has been told
• कथितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथ् (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि (PPP; ‘has been told’)

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम)
• Form: चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (4th/Dative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (dat. sg.)

• पुरा: formerly, earlier
• पुरा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• अगस्ते: O Agastya
• अगस्ते: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अगस्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (8th/Vocative), एकवचन; ऋषिनाम (voc. sg.)

• कामेशम्: Kāmeśa (a deity)
• कामेशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कामेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; देवतावाचक (masc. acc. sg.)

• कथयामि: I tell, I narrate
• कथयामि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथय् (धातु, णिजन्त)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद (I narrate)

• अतः: therefore, now
• अतः: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अतः (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतु/अनन्तरार्थक-अव्यय (therefore/now)

Speaker

Skanda (explicitly implied by narrative continuity; typical Kāśīkhaṇḍa frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vīreśvara (concluded) → Kāmeśa (to be narrated)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A storyteller-sage scene: Skanda’s narrative voice implied; Agastya seated attentively; behind them a stylized map-like backdrop of Kāśī with two highlighted shrines—Vīreśvara fading into the background and Kāmeśa coming into focus.

Characters & Entities

• Vīreśvara
• Agastya
• Kāmeśa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic teaching proceeds tīrtha by tīrtha: each sacred site is a doorway, and the narration itself is a form of pilgrimage through hearing (śravaṇa).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vīreśvara has just been completed, and Kāmeśa is announced as the next sacred focus.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; it signals the shift to the next māhātmya, typically implying darśana/arcana at Kāmeśa in the upcoming passage.