Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

कथं च देवदेवस्य प्रियत्वं समुपेयिवान् । काशीवासिजनीनोभूत्कथं वा दंडनायकः

Transliteration

kathaṃ ca devadevasya priyatvaṃ samupeyivān | kāśīvāsijanīnobhūtkathaṃ vā daṃḍanāyakaḥ

Translation

അവൻ ദേവദേവന്റെ പ്രിയത്വം എങ്ങനെ പ്രാപിച്ചു? കാശിവാസികളിൽ ജനിച്ച് അവൻ ദണ്ഡനായകൻ—അധികാരവും ശിക്ഷാദണ്ഡവും വഹിക്കുന്നവൻ—എങ്ങനെ ആയി?

Word by Word

• कथम्: how?
• कथम्: Sambandha (Question/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय, interrogative adverb)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक-निपात, conjunction)

• देवदेवस्य: of the God of gods
• देवदेवस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (देवानां देवः)

• प्रियत्वम्: dearness, favor
• प्रियत्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रियत्व (प्रातिपदिक; तद्धित-भाव)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• समुपेयिवान्: having attained/approached
• समुपेयिवान्: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-इ (इ धातु) + सम् (उपसर्ग); उपेयिवस् (कृदन्त-भूतकृदन्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (परिपूर्ण-भूतकृदन्त/परफेक्ट-एक्टिव पार्टिसिपल), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगः

• काशीवासि: a resident of Kāśī
• काशीवासि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: काशी + वासिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (काश्यां वासी)

• जनीनः: a person, man
• जनीनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनीन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• अभूत्: became
• अभूत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (भू धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• कथम्: how?
• कथम्: Sambandha (Question/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय)

• वा: or/indeed
• वा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (विकल्पार्थक-निपात, disjunctive particle)

• दण्डनायकः: commander of punishment; chief magistrate
• दण्डनायकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दण्ड + नायक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (दण्डस्य नायकः)

Speaker

Agastya (questioning Skanda, implied by context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya (Kumbha-sambhava)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A questioning sage addresses the divine narrator about a kṣetra-protector: how he gained Śiva’s favor, became a Kāśī-resident, and attained the office of Daṇḍanāyaka.

Characters & Entities

• Devadeva (Śiva)
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Daṇḍanāyaka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine favor and spiritual status are portrayed as attainable through dharma and the sanctifying power of connection to Kāśī.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), celebrated as a supremely meritorious sacred abode (sthāna) whose residents are specially sanctified.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed in this verse; it introduces an inquiry into the causes of merit, Kāśī-vāsa, and divine favor.