Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

उमोवाच । किंचित्प्रष्टुमना नाथ स्वसंदेहापनुत्तये । वद खेदो यदि न ते त्रिकालज्ञानकोविद

Transliteration

umovāca | kiṃcitpraṣṭumanā nātha svasaṃdehāpanuttaye | vada khedo yadi na te trikālajñānakovida

Translation

ഉമ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ നാഥാ! എന്റെ സംശയം നീക്കുന്നതിനായി ഞാൻ അല്പം ചോദിക്കുവാൻ ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്നു. നിങ്ങള്ക്ക് ക്ലേശമില്ലെങ്കിൽ പറയുക, ഹേ ത്രികാലജ്ഞാനത്തിൽ നിപുണനേ.

Word by Word

• umā: Uma
• umā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: umā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• kiṃcit: a little
• kiṃcit: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kiṃcit (अव्यय/सर्वनाम)
• Form: अव्यय (अल्पपरिमाण/‘a little’)

• praṣṭum: to ask
• praṣṭum: Prayojana (Purpose)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√prach (धातु) → praṣṭum (तुमुन्/infinitive)
• Form: कृदन्त, तुमुन् (infinitive)

• manāḥ: intending, desirous
• manāḥ: Karta (Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: manas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिसदृश प्रयोगे ‘मनाः’ = ‘मनः यस्य’ (इच्छुक)

• nātha: O lord
• nātha: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nātha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन एकवचन

• sva: one's own
• sva: Sambandha (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासपूर्वपदम्; विशेषणार्थ

• saṃdeha: doubt
• saṃdeha: Sambandha (Genitive within compound)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃdeha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी एकवचन (समासाङ्ग)

• apanuttaye: for dispelling
• apanuttaye: Prayojana (Purpose/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: apa-√nud (धातु) → apanutti (प्रातिपदिक/क्तिन्)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी एकवचन; प्रयोजनार्थे (for removal)

• vada: tell (me)
• vada: Kriya (Imperative)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vad (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• khedaḥ: trouble, fatigue
• khedaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kheda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha (Conditional)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तबोधक अव्यय (if)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation)

• te: for you / of you
• te: Sambandha (Possessor/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी एकवचन (तव/‘to you’ contextually; here genitive ‘for you’)

• trikāla: the three times
• trikāla: Sambandha (Qualifier within compound)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri (प्रातिपदिक) + kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तत्पुरुष समास (त्रयः कालाः) समासाङ्ग

• jñāna: knowledge
• jñāna: Sambandha (Qualifier within compound)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jñāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, समासाङ्ग

• kovida: O expert
• kovida: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kovida (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन एकवचन; विशेषणार्थे (address)

Speaker

Umā (Pārvatī)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śiva (Maheśvara)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Umā sits beside Śiva in a calm teaching posture; she raises a gentle question with folded hands; Śiva, serene and all-knowing, prepares to narrate ancient tīrtha history.

Characters & Entities

• Umā (Pārvatī)
• Śiva (addressed as Nātha)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma values humble inquiry: doubts are removed through respectful questioning of realized authority.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse introduces a Gaṅgā-māhātmya discussion within Kāśī Khaṇḍa, setting the stage for Kāśī–Gaṅgā sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is the opening of a teaching dialogue.