Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

अभ्युपावेशयच्चापि परिष्वज्य निजासने । सोमनंदि प्रभृतयः प्रणेमुर्दंडवद्गणाः

Transliteration

abhyupāveśayaccāpi pariṣvajya nijāsane | somanaṃdi prabhṛtayaḥ praṇemurdaṃḍavadgaṇāḥ

Translation

उन्होंने उसे स्नेहपूर्वक स्वागत कर अपने ही आसन पर आलिंगन सहित बैठाया। सोमनन्दि आदि गण दण्डवत् होकर भूमि पर प्रणाम करने लगे।

Word by Word

• अभ्युपावेशयत्: (he) seated (him) near
• अभ्युपावेशयत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि-उप-आ-विश् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्/परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; causative (णिच्) of √विश्; कर्मणि प्रवृत्तिः (made [someone] sit near)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्भावना/अपि-कारक निपात (particle: also/even)

• परिष्वज्य: having embraced
• परिष्वज्य: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि-स्वज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; पूर्वक्रिया (having embraced)

• निजासने: on (his) own seat
• निजासने: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निज-आसन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; निजस्य आसनम् इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (in his own seat)

• सोमनन्दि: Somanandin
• सोमनन्दि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोमनन्दि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; नाम (proper name)

• प्रभृतयः: and others (beginning with)
• प्रभृतयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभृति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; ‘and others beginning with’ (group-indicating)

• प्रणेमुः: bowed down
• प्रणेमुः: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-नम् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• दण्डवत्: prostrate (like a staff)
• दण्डवत्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दण्डवत् (अव्यय/तद्धित)
• Form: उपमानवाचक अव्यय (adverb: like a staff; prostrate)

• गणाः: the attendants/gaṇas
• गणाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta-Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage-seeker interlocutors of Kāśī-māhātmya (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A divine sabhā in Kāśī: Śiva welcomes an honored guest with an embrace and offers his own seat; gaṇas led by Somanandin fall in full-length prostration, forming a semicircle around the throne.

Characters & Entities

• Somanandin
• Gaṇas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Honoring the worthy with welcome and seat is dharma; attendants model total surrender through full prostration.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the sacred theater for this divine etiquette and worship.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Daṇḍavat-praṇāma (full prostration) is exemplified as a devotional practice.