Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

अगस्त्य उवाच । पार्वतीहृदयानंद स्कंद सर्वज्ञनंदन । काः कास्तु शक्तयस्ता वै तासां नामानि मे वद

Transliteration

agastya uvāca | pārvatīhṛdayānaṃda skaṃda sarvajñanaṃdana | kāḥ kāstu śaktayastā vai tāsāṃ nāmāni me vada

Translation

അഗസ്ത്യൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ പാർവതീഹൃദയാനന്ദാ, ഹേ സ്കന്ദാ, സർവ്വജ്ഞന്റെ നന്ദനേ! ആ ശക്തികൾ ഏതെല്ലാം? അവയുടെ നാമങ്ങൾ എനിക്കു പറയുക।

Word by Word

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

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

• पार्वतीहृदयानन्द: O joy of Pārvatī’s heart
• पार्वतीहृदयानन्द: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्वती (प्रातिपदिक) + हृदय (प्रातिपदिक) + आनन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पार्वत्याः हृदयस्य आनन्दः)

• स्कन्द: O Skanda
• स्कन्द: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्कन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• सर्वज्ञनन्दन: O son of the Omniscient
• सर्वज्ञनन्दन: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्वज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक) + नन्दन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (सर्वज्ञस्य नन्दनः)

• काः: which (feminine plural)
• काः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• काः: which (indeed)
• काः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (पुनरुक्ति/प्रश्नार्थ)

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात/विरोधार्थ-प्रश्नार्थ (but/indeed)

• शक्तयः: powers/Śaktis
• शक्तयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• ताः: those
• ताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphasis/indeed)

• तासाम्: of those
• तासाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• नामानि: names
• नामानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), बहुवचन

• मे: to me / my
• मे: Sampradana (Beneficiary/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; (enclitic)

• वद: tell/say
• वद: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन

Speaker

Agastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Skanda

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Agastya, seated in a quiet āśrama-like setting within the Kāśī narrative frame, folds hands and questions Skanda about the supreme Śaktis; Skanda appears youthful, radiant, with spear and peacock emblem subtly present.

Characters & Entities

• Agastya
• Skanda
• Pārvatī (Umā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Reverent inquiry into the Divine Feminine (Śakti) is presented as a legitimate path to understanding sacred power and its manifestations.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader frame is the Kāśī-khaṇḍa (Varanasi/Kāśī Māhātmya), though this verse itself is an opening question rather than a site-description.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse introduces a teaching by requesting the names of the Śaktis.