Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 66

Devanagari script

उपविश्वेश्वरं काश्यां ज्ञानवाप्यां रमे मुदा । जनको मे हरिस्वामी जनयित्री प्रियंवदा

Transliteration

upaviśveśvaraṃ kāśyāṃ jñānavāpyāṃ rame mudā | janako me harisvāmī janayitrī priyaṃvadā

Translation

ಕಾಶಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಉಪವಿಶ್ವೇಶ್ವರನ ಸನ್ನಿಧಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಹಾಗೂ ಪವಿತ್ರ ಜ್ಞಾನವಾಪಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ನಾನು ಹರ್ಷದಿಂದ ಆನಂದಿಸಿದೆ. ನನ್ನ ತಂದೆ ಹರಿಸ್ವಾಮಿ, ತಾಯಿ ಪ್ರಿಯಂವದಾ.

Word by Word

• उपविश्वेश्वरम्: Upaviśveśvara (a form of Viśveśvara)
• उपविश्वेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उप-विश्वेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक; उपसर्ग+नाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; समासः—उप + विश्वेश्वर (उपसर्गपूर्वक-तत्पुरुष)

• काश्याम्: in Kāśī
• काश्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• ज्ञानवाप्याम्: in the Jñānavāpī (well of knowledge)
• ज्ञानवाप्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्ञान-वापी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; समासः—ज्ञानस्य वापी (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• रमे: I delight / rejoice
• रमे: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: रम् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), उत्तम-पुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• मुदा: with joy
• मुदा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुद्/मुदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन

• जनकः: father
• जनकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन

• मे: my
• मे: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• हरिस्वामी: Harisvāmin (name/title)
• हरिस्वामी: Apposition (Samānādhikaraṇa/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि-स्वामिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; समासः—हरिः एव स्वामी (कर्मधारय)

• जनयित्री: mother (female begetter)
• जनयित्री: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनयितृ (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त-कर्तृ)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन; कृदन्तः—तृन्/तृच्-प्रत्यय (agent noun)

• प्रियंवदा: Priyaṃvadā (sweet-speaking; name/epithet)
• प्रियंवदा: Apposition (Samānādhikaraṇa/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रियं-वदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—प्रियं वदति इति (बहुव्रीहि, ‘sweet-speaking’)

Speaker

Kalāvatī (narrating her remembrance)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jñānavāpī; Upaviśveśvara

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A listener within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa frame (contextual interlocutors of the chapter)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee-woman narrates her past in Kāśī: she stands near a stone-lined sacred well (Jñānavāpī) with the Upaviśveśvara liṅga nearby; lamps, bilva leaves, and pilgrims frame the scene; her face shows delighted recollection.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Upaviśveśvara
• Jñānavāpī
• Harisvāmin
• Priyaṃvadā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s tīrthas, especially Jñānavāpī, are praised as joy-giving and spiritually illuminating, grounding personal identity in sacred place and dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Jñānavāpī in Kāśī, along with the locale of Upaviśveśvara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed here; the focus is on the auspiciousness of being at/seeing Jñānavāpī and Upaviśveśvara.