Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

प्रावर्तत महायागो हृष्टपुष्टमहाजनः । तथा द्रष्टुं न शक्नोमि तत आगतवानिह

Transliteration

prāvartata mahāyāgo hṛṣṭapuṣṭamahājanaḥ | tathā draṣṭuṃ na śaknomi tata āgatavāniha

Translation

Le grand sacrifice se poursuivait, et la vaste foule, réjouie, prospérait ; mais je ne pus le supporter à voir, et c’est pourquoi je me suis retiré et suis venu ici.

Word by Word

• प्रावर्तत: began, commenced
• प्रावर्तत: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-√वृत् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (परस्मैपद), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — Imperfect, 3rd person, Singular

• महायागः: the great sacrifice
• महायागः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महā (प्रातिपदिक) + याग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular; कर्मधारय (महान् यागः)

• हृष्ट-पुष्ट-महाजनः: the great crowd, delighted and well-fed
• हृष्ट-पुष्ट-महाजनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हृष्ट (प्रातिपदिक) + पुष्ट (प्रातिपदिक) + महाजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular; बहुपद-कर्मधारय (हृष्टश्च पुष्टश्च महाजनः)

• तथा: thus, in that way
• तथा: Avyaya (Modifier/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक — adverb ‘thus/so’

• द्रष्टुम्: to see
• द्रष्टुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दृश् (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive) — Infinitive; ‘to see’

• न: not
• न: Avyaya (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय — negation particle

• शक्नोमि: I am able
• शक्नोमि: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √शक् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (परस्मैपद), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन — Present, 1st person, Singular

• ततः: therefore, from that
• ततः: Avyaya (Cause/Result marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपादान/हेतुवाचक — indeclinable ‘therefore/from that’

• आगतवान्: (I) have come
• आगतवान्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-√गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्तवतु-प्रत्ययान्त (भूतकृत्), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Perfect participle (active), Masculine, Nominative, Singular; ‘having come’

• इह: here
• इह: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक — adverb ‘here’

Speaker

Narrator (first-person witness within the story; identity not explicit in snippet)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Satī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A thriving crowd around a blazing altar, musicians and priests busy; the speaker turns away, eyes lowered, unable to watch the proceedings, moving toward a quieter sacred space.

Characters & Entities

• Yajña (sacrificial rite)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual success and public celebration do not sanctify an act lacking true dharma; a discerning person withdraws from spiritually tainted rites.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is named in this verse; it remains within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s overarching Kāśī setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.