Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 53

Devanagari script

स्कंद उवाच । कलशोद्भव चित्रार्थमितिहासं पुरातनम् । ज्ञानवाप्यां हि यद्वृत्तं तदाख्यामि निशामय

Transliteration

skaṃda uvāca | kalaśodbhava citrārthamitihāsaṃ purātanam | jñānavāpyāṃ hi yadvṛttaṃ tadākhyāmi niśāmaya

Translation

സ്കന്ദൻ പറഞ്ഞു— ‘ഹേ കലശോദ്ഭവാ! കേൾക്കുക. ജ്ഞാനവാപിയിൽ സംഭവിച്ച പ്രാചീനവും അത്ഭുതകരവുമായ ഇതിഹാസം ഞാൻ വിവരിക്കുന്നു।’

Word by Word

• स्कन्दः: Skanda
• स्कन्दः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्कन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• कलशोद्भव: O Pot-born one (Agastya)
• कलशोद्भव: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलश-उद्भव (प्रातिपदिक; घटकाः: कलश + उद्भव)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (कलशात् उद्भवः)

• चित्रार्थम्: having a wondrous meaning
• चित्रार्थम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चित्र-अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक; घटकाः: चित्र + अर्थ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (चित्रः अर्थः यस्य/यत्)

• इतिहासम्: a legend, narrative
• इतिहासम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इतिहास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• पुरातनम्: ancient
• पुरातनम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुरातन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (इतिहासम्)

• ज्ञानवाप्याम्: in the Jñāna-vāpī (well of knowledge)
• ज्ञानवाप्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्ञान-वापी (प्रातिपदिक; घटकाः: ज्ञान + वापी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (ज्ञानस्य वापी)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha/Particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थ/निश्चयार्थ (indeed/for)

• यत्: that which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम (‘that which’)

• वृत्तम्: happened (event)
• वृत्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृत् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle used substantively), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘occurred event’

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; अन्वादेश (‘that’)

• आख्यामि: I will tell / I relate
• आख्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + ख्या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन

• निशामय: listen
• निशामय: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि + शम् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; ‘listen/attend’

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jñānavāpī

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Kalaśodbhava (Agastya)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Skanda addresses Kalaśodbhava (Agastya), beginning a wondrous ancient account about Jñānavāpī; the setting suggests an āśrama or sacred assembly, with a mental ‘cutaway’ to the well in Kāśī.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Agastya (Kalaśodbhava)
• Jñānavāpī
• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic sacred geography is preserved through itihāsa—listening with attention is itself a dharmic gateway to understanding a tīrtha’s greatness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Jñānavāpī (the ‘Well of Knowledge’) in Kāśī, introduced as the setting of an ancient sacred narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śravaṇa (devout listening) to the tīrtha-māhātmya narrative.