Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 75

Devanagari script

मृडानीवाक्सुधामेतां विधाय श्रुतिगोचराम् । कथामकथयद्देव ओंकारस्यमहाद्भुताम्

Transliteration

mṛḍānīvāksudhāmetāṃ vidhāya śrutigocarām | kathāmakathayaddeva oṃkārasyamahādbhutām

Translation

ഇങ്ങനെ മൃഡാനി (പാർവതി)യുടെ അമൃതസമമായ, ശ്രുതിഗോചരമായ വാക്കുകളെ രചിച്ച ശേഷം, ദേവൻ ഓംകാരത്തിന്റെ മഹാദ്ഭുതകഥ പറഞ്ഞു।

Word by Word

• मृडानी-वाक्-सुधाम्: nectar-like speech of Mṛḍānī
• मृडानी-वाक्-सुधाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृडानी (प्रातिपदिक) + वाक् (प्रातिपदिक) + सुधा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मृडान्याः वाक् = मृडानीवाक्) ततः कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-समासः (वाक् एव सुधा)

• एताम्: this
• एताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (मृडानीवाक्सुधाम् इत्यस्य)

• विधाय: having made/formed
• विधाय: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धा (धातु) उपसर्गः वि-
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभावः; ‘having made/arranged’

• श्रुति-गोचराम्: within the range of the Vedas (audible/knowable by śruti)
• श्रुति-गोचराम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रुति (प्रातिपदिक) + गोचर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (श्रुतेः गोचरः) ; विशेषणम् (एताम्/वाक्सुधाम्)

• कथाम्: story, account
• कथाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• अकथयत्: told, narrated
• अकथयत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथय् (धातु) उपसर्गः अ- (निषेध/अभाव-न; अत्र न, किन्तु augment ‘a’ of imperfect)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/past), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• देवः: the god (Lord)
• देवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• ओंकारस्य: of Oṃkāra
• ओंकारस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ओंकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/genitive), एकवचन

• महद्-अद्भुताम्: great and wondrous
• महद्-अद्भुताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महद् (प्रातिपदिक) + अद्भुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (महान् च अद्भुता च) ; विशेषणम् (कथाम्)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual, likely Skanda’s narration of the dialogue)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ānandavana (within Kāśī/Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī (Mṛḍānī/Aparṇā)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva, after shaping Pārvatī’s nectar-like, śruti-worthy speech, begins the wondrous Oṃkāra narrative; an intimate divine discourse set against the sanctity of Kāśī.

Characters & Entities

• Mṛḍānī (Pārvatī)
• Deva (Śiva)
• Oṃkāra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic kathā is portrayed as ‘nectar’—a sacred medium through which profound truths are transmitted.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Indirectly Kāśī, since the Oṃkāra narrative is being introduced within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; emphasis is on śravaṇa (worthy hearing) and narration of sacred history.