Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 96

Devanagari script

एकदा कश्चिदौदीच्यो माल्यकेतुं नरेश्वरम् । चित्रकृच्चित्रपटिकां चित्रां दर्शितवानथ

Transliteration

ekadā kaścidaudīcyo mālyaketuṃ nareśvaram | citrakṛccitrapaṭikāṃ citrāṃ darśitavānatha

Translation

एक बार उत्तरदेश का एक चित्रकार राजा माल्यकेतु को एक अद्भुत चित्रित पटिका दिखाने लगा।

Word by Word

• ekadā: once
• ekadā: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ekadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• kaścit: someone
• kaścit: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); अनिश्चितवाचक (indefinite)

• audīcyaḥ: a northerner
• audīcyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: audīcya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); जातिवाचक/देशवाचक

• mālyaketum: Mālyaketu
• mālyaketum: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mālyaketu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• nareśvaram: lord of men/king
• nareśvaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nareśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘narāṇām īśvaraḥ’

• citrakṛt: a painter
• citrakṛt: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: citra (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛt (कृदन्त from √kṛ धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); उपपद-तत्पुरुष: ‘citraṃ karoti’ (one who makes pictures)

• citrapaṭikām: a painted panel/cloth
• citrapaṭikām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: citra (प्रातिपदिक) + paṭikā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मधारय: ‘citrā paṭikā’

• citrām: wonderful/variegated
• citrām: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: citra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण to ‘paṭikām’

• darśitavān: showed
• darśitavān: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्तवतु-प्रत्ययान्त (past active participle), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); परस्मैपदी-भावः; finite sense ‘showed’

• atha: then
• atha: Discourse connector (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अनुक्रम/आरम्भसूचक

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya ṛṣis (typical frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A northern artist presents a painted panel to King Mālyaketu in court; attendants gather; the painting is covered then unveiled, creating suspense.

Characters & Entities

• Mālyaketu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic narratives often introduce a ‘vision’ (darśana) event that becomes the turning point toward dharma and sacred understanding.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The macro-context is Kāśī; this verse itself introduces a narrative scene without naming a particular tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it is a narrative setup.