Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

ततः क्षेत्ररहस्यस्य कथनं पापनाशनम् । अथातः कंदुकेशस्य व्याघ्रेशस्य समुद्भवः

Transliteration

tataḥ kṣetrarahasyasya kathanaṃ pāpanāśanam | athātaḥ kaṃdukeśasya vyāghreśasya samudbhavaḥ

Translation

Puis est donnée l’exposé, destructeur des péchés, du secret du Champ sacré (Kāśī). Ensuite vient le récit de l’origine de Kaṇḍukeśa et de Vyāghreśa.

Word by Word

• ततः: thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana (Context/Temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक): thereafter

• क्षेत्ररहस्यस्य: of the secret of the sacred field (Kṣetra)
• क्षेत्ररहस्यस्य: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र + रहस्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (क्षेत्रस्य रहस्यम्)

• कथनम्: the narration
• कथनम्: Karta (Subject/Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• पापनाशनम्: sin-destroying
• पापनाशनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप + नाशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (कथनम् इति); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पापस्य नाशनम्)

• अथ: then/now
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/अनन्तरार्थक): now/then

• अतः: thereafter
• अतः: Sambandha (Discourse connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अनन्तर/हेतुवाचक): thereafter/from this

• कन्दुकेशस्य: of Kandukesha
• कन्दुकेशस्य: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्दुकेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (कन्दु-केशाः यस्य सः)

• व्याघ्रेशस्य: of Vyāghreśa (lord of tigers)
• व्याघ्रेशस्य: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्याघ्र + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (व्याघ्राणाम् ईशः)

• समुद्भवः: origin/arising
• समुद्भवः: Karta (Subject/Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समुद्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra-rahasya; Kaṇḍukeśa; Vyāghreśa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Purāṇic audience of pilgrims/sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A contemplative scene: sages revealing Kāśī’s secret doctrine; then two emblematic manifestations—Kaṇḍukeśa and Vyāghreśa—shown as liṅgas or Śiva-forms with associated symbols (ball/‘kanduka’ motif; tiger/‘vyāghra’ motif).

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī Kṣetra
• Kaṇḍukeśa
• Vyāghreśa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Hearing the ‘secret’ teaching of Kāśī itself is presented as a purifier; sacred geography is treated as a vehicle of liberation and moral cleansing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader Kāśī Kṣetra is highlighted, with upcoming focus on Kaṇḍukeśa and Vyāghreśa as specific Śaiva sites.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, śravaṇa (devotional listening) of the kṣetra-rahasya is praised as pāpa-nāśana; no explicit vrata or dāna is stated.