Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 112

Devanagari script

काश्यां यस्यास्ति वै प्रेम तेन कृत्वाऽदरं गुरुम् । श्रोतव्यमिदमाख्यानं वज्रपंजरसन्निभम्

Transliteration

kāśyāṃ yasyāsti vai prema tena kṛtvā'daraṃ gurum | śrotavyamidamākhyānaṃ vajrapaṃjarasannibham

Translation

കാശിയോടു സത്യസ്നേഹം ഉള്ളവൻ ആദ്യം ഗുരുവിനെ ഭക്ത്യാദരത്തോടെ പൂജിച്ച്, വജ്രപഞ്ജരത്തുപോലെ ദൃഢവും സംരക്ഷകവുമായ ഈ പുണ്യാഖ്യാനം ശ്രവിക്കണം।

Word by Word

• काश्याम्: in Kāśī
• काश्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण (locative of place)

• यस्य: whose
• यस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• अस्ति: is/exists
• अस्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle/emphasis)

• प्रेम: love
• प्रेम: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रेमन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्तृ/विषय-भाव (subject of 'asti')

• तेन: by him/therefore
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; करण (instrumental)

• कृत्वा: having done
• कृत्वा: Kriya (Non-finite verbal action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive); पूर्वकाले कृत्य (having done)

• आदरम्: respect
• आदरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आदर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म (object of 'kृत्वा')

• गुरुम्: the teacher
• गुरुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म (object/goal: 'guru' as object of honoring)

• श्रोतव्यम्: should be heard
• श्रोतव्यम्: Kriya (Obligation predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (gerundive/passive necessity); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय (to be heard)

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karma (Object of hearing/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेष्य-निर्देश (this)

• आख्यानम्: narrative
• आख्यानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आख्यान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'इदम्' का विशेष्य; श्रवणकर्म

• वज्रपंजरसन्निभम्: like a vajra-cage (adamantine enclosure)
• वज्रपंजरसन्निभम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वज्र-पंजर-सन्निभ (प्रातिपदिक; वज्र + पंजर + सन्निभ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (आख्यानम्)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue frame: Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (general framing)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devoted pilgrim bows to a seated Guru at the threshold of Kāśī; behind them rises the luminous city with ghāṭas and temple spires; a subtle vajra-cage aura encircles the manuscript/teaching being transmitted.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Guru

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion to Kāśī should be joined with reverence to the Guru; hearing the māhātmya becomes spiritually protective and stabilizing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) as a sacred kṣetra, praised through the act of hearing its māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śravaṇa (listening) to the sacred account, preceded by honoring the Guru (guru-satkāra).