Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

स्कंद उवाच । मित्रावरुणसंभूत कथयामि कथामिमाम् । तत्याज च यथा स्थाणुः काशीं विध्युपरोधतः

Transliteration

skaṃda uvāca | mitrāvaruṇasaṃbhūta kathayāmi kathāmimām | tatyāja ca yathā sthāṇuḥ kāśīṃ vidhyuparodhataḥ

Translation

സ്കന്ദൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ മിത്ര-വരുണസംബൂതാ! വിന്ധ്യപർവതത്തിന്റെ തടസ്സം മൂലം സ്ഥാണു (ശിവൻ) കാശിയെ എങ്ങനെ ‘ഉപേക്ഷിച്ചു’ എന്ന കഥ ഞാൻ പറയുന്നു।

Word by Word

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

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

• मित्रावरुणसंभूत: O one born of Mitra and Varuṇa
• मित्रावरुणसंभूत: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मित्र + वरुण + संभूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—‘मित्रावरुणयोः संभूतः’ (born of Mitra and Varuṇa)

• कथयामि: I narrate / will tell
• कथयामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथय् (धातु, णिच्)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; धातु: कथय् (कथ् + णिच्)—‘कथने’

• कथाम्: the story
• कथाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• इमाम्: this
• इमाम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘कथाम्’ इति विशेषण

• तत्याज: abandoned
• तत्याज: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परिपूर्णभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• यथा: just as
• यथा: Sambandha (Comparative/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमान/प्रकार-अव्यय (as/just as)

• स्थाणुः: Sthāṇu (Śiva)
• स्थाणुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थाणु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘शिवः’

• काशीम्: Kāśī
• काशीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• विध्युपरोधतः: due to Brahmā’s obstruction
• विध्युपरोधतः: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/अपादान-हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विधि + उपरोध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (अपादान/हेतु), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—‘विधेः उपरोधः’ (obstruction by Brahmā); अव्ययीभाववत्—‘उपरोधतः’ = ‘उपरोधकारणात्’

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta) in relation to Vindhya episode

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya (Mitra-Varuṇa-sambhūta)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Skanda begins the tale, addressing Agastya as ‘Mitra-Varuṇa-born’. In the background, the Vindhya looms, swelling like a wall, symbolizing obstruction; Kāśī’s luminous presence remains implied as unextinguished.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Agastya (Mitrāvaruṇasaṃbhūta)
• Śiva (Sthāṇu)
• Kāśī
• Vindhya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred-history narratives explain cosmic events while intensifying devotion to Kāśī as Śiva’s special domain.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī, presented within a mythic account involving Śiva and the Vindhya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a narrative transition introducing the Vindhya-related episode.