Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

एतस्मिन्नंतरे ब्रह्मा विश्वेशं प्रणिपत्य ह । यावद्विज्ञप्तुकामोभूत्तावदीशोब्रवीद्विधिम्

Transliteration

etasminnaṃtare brahmā viśveśaṃ praṇipatya ha | yāvadvijñaptukāmobhūttāvadīśobravīdvidhim

Translation

അതിനിടയിൽ ബ്രഹ്മാവ് വിശ്വേശ്വരനെ പ്രണാമം ചെയ്തു. അപേക്ഷ അറിയിക്കുവാൻ ഒരുങ്ങുമ്പോഴേക്കും, വിധാതാവായ ബ്രഹ്മനോടു കർത്താവ് ആദ്യം വചനം അരുളി.

Word by Word

• एतस्मिन्: in this
• एतस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन (Singular)

• अन्तरे: in the interval
• अन्तरे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन (Singular)

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā
• ब्रह्मा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन (Singular)

• विश्वेशम्: Viśveśa (Lord of the universe)
• विश्वेशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्व-ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्रणिपत्य: having bowed down
• प्रणिपत्य: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-नि-√पत् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), पूर्वक्रिया (prior action)

• ह: indeed/then
• ह: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ह (निपात/अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), पदपूरण/अनुवादक

• यावत्: as long as/while
• यावत्: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय/सम्बन्ध-शब्द)
• Form: सम्बन्धाव्यय (correlative), ‘as long as/while’

• विज्ञप्तु-कामः: desirous to make a request
• विज्ञप्तु-कामः: Karta (Subject-complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विज्ञप्तु (तुमुनन्त/कृदन्त from √ज्ञा with वि) + काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (descriptive)

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

• तावत्: then/so long
• तावत्: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: परिमाण/कालवाचक अव्यय (correlative: ‘then/so much/that long’)

• ईशः: the Lord
• ईशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन (Singular)

• अब्रवीत्: said
• अब्रवीत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• विधिम्: to Brahmā (the Ordainer)
• विधिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; within Kāśīkhaṇḍa frame traditionally Skanda narrating to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Viśveśvara (Kāśī/Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Inside the luminous Kāśī-kṣetra, Brahmā bows with folded hands before Viśveśa; Śiva, calm and sovereign, speaks first, halting Brahmā’s request.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Viśveśa (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Lord of Kāśī (Viśveśa) is supreme and compassionate—He anticipates devotees’ needs even before they formally petition.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Viśveśvara/Viśvanātha of Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) is directly invoked, central to Kāśī Sthala Māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The act shown is praṇipāta (prostration/bowing) to Viśveśa; no further rite is prescribed in this verse.