Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

स्कंद उवाच । अथेशाज्ञां समादाय गजवक्त्रः प्रतस्थिवान् । शंभोः काश्यागमोपायं चिंतयन्मंदराद्रितः

Transliteration

skaṃda uvāca | atheśājñāṃ samādāya gajavaktraḥ pratasthivān | śaṃbhoḥ kāśyāgamopāyaṃ ciṃtayanmaṃdarādritaḥ

Translation

Skanda dit : Alors, ayant reçu l’ordre du Seigneur, Celui au visage d’éléphant se mit en route, méditant le moyen par lequel Śambhu viendrait à Kāśī depuis le mont Mandara.

Word by Word

• skandaḥ: Skanda
• skandaḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: skanda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रमसूचक ‘then’

• īśa: of the Lord (Śiva)
• īśa: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासपूर्वपद (genitival sense) ‘of the Lord’

• ājñām: command
• ājñām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ājñā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• samādāya: having taken/accepted
• samādāya: Kriya (Adverbial action/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sam-ā√dā (धातु) + ल्यप् → samādāya (कृदन्त-अव्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यबन्त अव्यय (gerund) ‘having taken/received’

• gajavaktraḥ: the elephant-faced one (Gaṇeśa)
• gajavaktraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaja + vaktra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः ‘whose face is (like) an elephant’

• pratasthivān: having set out; departed
• pratasthivān: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra√sthā (धातु) + kta-vat (क्तवत्) → pratasthivān (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; क्तवत्-कृदन्त (past active participle)

• śaṃbhoḥ: of Śambhu (Śiva)
• śaṃbhoḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṃbhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• kāśī: Kāśī
• kāśī: Sambandha (Compound member/समास)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक (समासाङ्ग)

• āgama: coming, arrival
• āgama: Sambandha (Compound member/समास)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āgama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक (समासाङ्ग)

• upāyam: means/plan (for arrival at Kāśī)
• upāyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: upāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; (कāśy-āgama-upāya) = ‘means for coming to Kāśī’

• cintayan: thinking, pondering
• cintayan: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: cint (धातु) + śatṛ (शतृ) → cintayat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्यय (present participle)

• mandarādritaḥ: (being) at/on Mandara mountain; Mandara-mountain-related
• mandarādritaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mandara + adri (प्रातिपदिक) + -ta (त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; (mandara-adri) + त-प्रत्यय ‘having (as) Mandara mountain’ / ‘from Mandara mountain’ (contextual)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta) / Mandarādri (as sacred mountain)

Type: peak

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Skanda narrates: Gaṇeśa departs from Mandara, pondering the strategy for bringing Śambhu to Kāśī; the scene blends travel with contemplative resolve.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Gaṇeśa (Gajavaktra)
• Śiva (Śambhu)
• Kāśī
• Mandara Mountain

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In sacred narratives, divine intent is executed through thoughtful planning—Kāśī is approached with deliberate purpose, not casually.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī, portrayed as the destination whose coming-and-going even the gods carefully arrange.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it sets narrative context for the Kāśī episode.