Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

काश्याश्च वर्णनं तस्माद्योगिनीवर्णनं ततः । लोलार्कस्य समाख्यानमुत्तरार्ककथा ततः

Transliteration

kāśyāśca varṇanaṃ tasmādyoginīvarṇanaṃ tataḥ | lolārkasya samākhyānamuttarārkakathā tataḥ

Translation

Vient ensuite la description de Kāśī; puis la description des Yoginīs. Après cela se déploie le récit complet de Lolārka, et ensuite l’histoire d’Uttarārka.

Word by Word

• kāśyāḥ: of Kāśī
• kāśyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय)

• varṇanam: description
• varṇanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varṇana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• tasmāt: from that; thereafter
• tasmāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tasmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम-तस्मदः पञ्चमी (5th) एकवचनरूपेण अव्ययीभूतम् — 'from that/thereafter'

• yoginī-varṇanam: description of the Yoginī
• yoginī-varṇanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yoginī (प्रातिपदिक) + varṇana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (योगिन्याः वर्णनम्)

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — thereafter

• lolārkasya: of Lolārka
• lolārkasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lolārka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• samākhyānam: narrative; account
• samākhyānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sam-ā√khyā (धातु) → samākhyāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; धातुजन्य-नाम (आख्यान)

• uttarārka-kathā: story of Uttarārka
• uttarārka-kathā: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: uttara (प्रातिपदिक) + arka (प्रातिपदिक) + kathā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (उत्तरार्कस्य कथा)

• tataḥ: thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — thereafter

Speaker

Skanda (deduced Kāśīkhaṇḍa setting)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Lolārka; Uttarārka (within Kāśī)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis/assembly (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic Kāśī map-like scene: the city described, then a ring of Yoginīs as guardian goddesses, followed by a sunrise ritual at Lolārka and a subsequent solar narrative at Uttarārka.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Yoginīs
• Lolārka
• Uttarārka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is presented as a convergence of powers—Śākta Yoginī currents and Sūrya-tīrthas coexist within the same sacred map.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Lolārka (a Sūrya-associated sacred spot in Kāśī) and the broader kṣetra of Kāśī itself.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse functions as an index pointing to forthcoming tīrtha-kathās.