Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

गिरिं प्रदक्षिणीकृत्य श्रीसंज्ञं कलशोद्भवः । सपत्नीको ददर्शाथ रम्यं स्कंदवनं महत्

Transliteration

giriṃ pradakṣiṇīkṛtya śrīsaṃjñaṃ kalaśodbhavaḥ | sapatnīko dadarśātha ramyaṃ skaṃdavanaṃ mahat

Translation

‘ശ്രീ’ എന്നു പേരുള്ള പർവതത്തെ പ്രദക്ഷിണം ചെയ്ത് കലശോദ്ഭവനായ അഗസ്ത്യൻ ഭാര്യയോടുകൂടെ ആ മനോഹരവും മഹത്തുമായ സ്കന്ദവനം ദർശിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• girim: mountain
• girim: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: giri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• pradakṣiṇī-kṛtya: having circumambulated
• pradakṣiṇī-kṛtya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pradakṣiṇī (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययभाव) + √kṛ (कृ, धातु)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास (pradakṣiṇī-kṛtya = having circumambulated); क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive)

• śrī-saṃjñam: named Śrī
• śrī-saṃjñam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃjñā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (śriyāḥ saṃjñā = named 'Śrī')

• kalaśa-udbhavaḥ: the pot-born (Agastya)
• kalaśa-udbhavaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kalaśa (प्रातिपदिक) + udbhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (kalaśāt udbhavaḥ = arisen from a pot)

• sa-patnīkaḥ: together with (his) wife
• sa-patnīkaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (सह-अर्थे उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + patnīka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावः (saha patnyā = with (his) wife)

• dadarśa: saw
• dadarśa: Kriyā (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (दृश्, धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/सम्बन्ध-बोधक (particle: then/now)

• ramyam: beautiful
• ramyam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ramya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• skaṃda-vanam: Skanda-forest
• skaṃda-vanam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: skaṃda (प्रातिपदिक) + vana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (Skandasya vanam = Skanda's forest)

• mahat: great, vast
• mahat: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण

Speaker

Vyāsa

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Skandavana

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sūta

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Agastya, with Lopāmudrā beside him, completes a clockwise circumambulation of a revered mountain; ahead opens a vast forest—Skandavana—inviting awe.

Characters & Entities

• Agastya
• Lopāmudrā (implied by 'sapatnīka')
• Skandavana
• Śrī-named mountain

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage actions like pradakṣiṇā lead the devotee toward darśana of sanctified places associated with deities such as Skanda.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Skandavana (the great grove/forest of Skanda) and a sacred mountain called Śrī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pradakṣiṇā (circumambulation) of the sacred mountain is explicitly described.