Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 83

Devanagari script

नत्वा विज्ञापयामासुः परिष्टुत्या पितामहम् । वच्रोऽवसरमालोक्य पृष्टागमनकारणाः

Transliteration

natvā vijñāpayāmāsuḥ pariṣṭutyā pitāmaham | vacro'vasaramālokya pṛṣṭāgamanakāraṇāḥ

Translation

അവർ നമസ്കരിച്ചു സ്തുതിഗാനങ്ങളാൽ പിതാമഹനായ ബ്രഹ്മാവിനോട് അപേക്ഷിച്ചു; സംസാരിക്കാനുള്ള അവസരം നോക്കി, അവരുടെ വരവിന്റെ കാരണം ചോദിക്കപ്പെട്ടു।

Word by Word

• natvā: having bowed
• natvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nam (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive), अव्यय; ‘having bowed’

• vijñāpayāmāsuḥ: they informed, reported
• vijñāpayāmāsuḥ: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi + √jñap (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्; णिच्-प्रयोग (causative sense: ‘made known/informed’)

• pariṣṭutyā: with eulogy
• pariṣṭutyā: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pariṣṭuti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनम्; करणवाचक—‘by/with praise’

• pitāmaham: the Grandfather (Brahmā)
• pitāmaham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitāmaha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; ब्रह्मणः विशेषण/नाम

• vacaḥ: words, speech
• vacaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vacas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; here as object of ‘ālokya’ (seen the speech/words)

• avasaram: opportunity, occasion
• avasaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: avasara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्

• ālokya: having observed
• ālokya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ā + √lok (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive), अव्यय; ‘having looked at/observed’

• pṛṣṭa-āgamana-kāraṇāḥ: whose reason for coming was asked
• pṛṣṭa-āgamana-kāraṇāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pṛṣṭa (√prach, धातु; क्त) + āgamana (प्रातिपदिक) + kāraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः (पृष्टम् आगमनकारणं येषाम्/पृष्ट-आगमन-कारणाः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्; agrees with implied subject (devāḥ)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration, commonly Skanda to Agastya)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvija

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devas bow with folded hands before Brahmā, offering hymns; Brahmā, serene and inquisitive, gestures gently as if granting permission to speak, while attendants watch the decorum of the assembly.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Devas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Approaching authority with humility and praise reflects dharmic etiquette; right speech begins with reverence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the macro-context of the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, but this verse concerns a celestial audience, not a named tirtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied practice: stuti (hymnic praise) as a devotional and formal prelude; no specific vow or rite is prescribed.