Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

अगस्त्य उवाच । षडास्य माधवाख्यानं श्रुतं मे पापनाशनम् । महिमापि श्रुतः श्रेयान्सम्यक्पंचनदस्य वै

Transliteration

agastya uvāca | ṣaḍāsya mādhavākhyānaṃ śrutaṃ me pāpanāśanam | mahimāpi śrutaḥ śreyānsamyakpaṃcanadasya vai

Translation

അഗസ്ത്യൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഷഡാസ്യനും മാധവനും സംബന്ധിച്ച പാപനാശക ആഖ്യാനം ഞാൻ ശ്രവിച്ചു. പഞ്ചനദത്തിന്റെ ശ്രേഷ്ഠമായ മഹിമയും യഥാവിധി ഞാൻ കേട്ടിരിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• अगस्त्यः: Agastya
• अगस्त्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अगस्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• षडास्य: of the six-faced one (Skanda)
• षडास्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: षट् + आस्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन; षट्-आस्यः = 'six-faced (Skanda)'

• माधवाख्यानम्: the narrative of Mādhava
• माधवाख्यानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माधव + आख्यान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; माधवस्य आख्यानम्

• श्रुतम्: heard
• श्रुतम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (Past passive participle/क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (अत्र) कर्मणि-प्रयोगे ‘heard’

• मे: by me / of me
• मे: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन; enclitic

• पापनाशनम्: sin-destroying
• पापनाशनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप + नाशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; पापस्य नाशनम्; विशेषणं ‘माधवाख्यानम्’

• महिमा: the greatness
• महिमा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महिमा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• श्रुतः: has been heard
• श्रुतः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (Past passive participle/क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘(महिमा) heard’

• श्रेयान्: greater / more excellent
• श्रेयान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रेयस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तुलनात्मक (comparative)

• सम्यक्: properly, fully
• सम्यक्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्यक् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• पञ्चनदस्य: of Pañcanada
• पञ्चनदस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च + नद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन; पञ्च नद्यः यस्य (place-name)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

Speaker

Agastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pañcanada

Type: tirtha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Agastya, seated in an ascetic grove, respectfully recalls having heard earlier sacred accounts and now requests the fuller greatness of Pañcanada; the atmosphere is contemplative, with palm-leaf manuscripts and a calm riverbank suggested in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Agastya
• Ṣaḍāsya (Skanda)
• Mādhava
• Pañcanada

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Listening to Purāṇic māhātmya—especially of deities and sacred places—is affirmed as pāpa-nāśana and spiritually beneficial.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Pañcanada is referenced as the praised sacred region/site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śravaṇa (devout listening/hearing) of sacred narratives and māhātmya is implied as the practice.