Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 140

Devanagari script

उवाच मधुरं धीरः कीरवन्मधुराक्षरम् । मघवन्वृत्रशत्रो त्वां जाने कुलिशपाणिनम्

Transliteration

uvāca madhuraṃ dhīraḥ kīravanmadhurākṣaram | maghavanvṛtraśatro tvāṃ jāne kuliśapāṇinam

Translation

ധീരൻ തത്തപക്ഷിയുടെ മധുരസ്വരമെന്നപോലെ മധുരാക്ഷരങ്ങളാൽ സ്നിഗ്ധമായി പറഞ്ഞു— “ഹേ മഘവൻ, വൃത്രഹന്താ! നിന്നെ വജ്രധാരി ഇന്ദ്രനെന്നു ഞാൻ അറിയുന്നു।”

Word by Word

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपदम्; धातु: वच्

• मधुरम्: sweetly / sweet (words)
• मधुरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मधुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative, 2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• धीरः: the steadfast one
• धीरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative, 1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• कीरवत्: like a parrot
• कीरवत्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial qualifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कीर (प्रातिपदिक) + वत् (प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्ययवत्-विशेषण (indeclinable-like adjectival usage); उपमानार्थे (in the sense of comparison)

• मधुराक्षरम्: sweet-syllabled (speech)
• मधुराक्षरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मधुर (प्रातिपदिक) + अक्षर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative, 2nd), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मधारयः (sweet + syllabled)

• मघवन्: O Maghavan (Indra)
• मघवन्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मघवन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• वृत्रशत्रो: O enemy of Vṛtra
• वृत्रशत्रो: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृत्र (प्रातिपदिक) + शत्रु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (वृत्रस्य शत्रुः)

• त्वाम्: you
• त्वाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया (Accusative, 2nd), एकवचन (Singular); सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• जाने: I know / recognize
• जाने: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपदम्; धातु: ज्ञा

• कुलिशपाणिनम्: the one with a thunderbolt in hand
• कुलिशपाणिनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुलिश (प्रातिपदिक) + पाणि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative, 2nd), एकवचन (Singular); बहुव्रीहिः (कुलिशः पाणौ यस्य सः)

Speaker

Unspecified in snippet (narrative voice within Kāśīkhaṇḍa; speaker likely a devotee/sage addressing Indra)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages (frame typical; not stated in verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A composed, steadfast speaker addresses a radiant deva with folded hands; the deva bears the vajra, with a subtle aura of storm-cloud and lightning; attendants listen in a sacred Kāśī setting.

Characters & Entities

• Maghavan (Indra)
• Vṛtra
• Kuliśa (Vajra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True discernment recognizes the divine even when it is not openly proclaimed, and speech offered with sweetness becomes a mark of inner steadiness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse itself is not a direct tīrtha-glorification; it occurs within the broader Kāśī-khaṇḍa narrative that celebrates Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it is a narrative identification of Indra.