Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 94

Devanagari script

प्रावर्तंत यतो वेदाः सांगाः सर्वस्य योनयः । सवेदादिः पद्मभुवा पुरस्तादवलोकितः

Transliteration

prāvartaṃta yato vedāḥ sāṃgāḥ sarvasya yonayaḥ | savedādiḥ padmabhuvā purastādavalokitaḥ

Translation

ആരിൽ നിന്നാണ് വേദങ്ങൾ അവയുടെ അങ്ങങ്ങളോടുകൂടി പ്രചരിച്ചത്, ആരാണ് സർവ്വത്തിന്റെയും കാരണയോനി—ആ വേദാദിയെ പദ്മഭവനായ ബ്രഹ്മാവ് തന്റെ മുമ്പിൽ ദർശിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• prāvartanta: arose/issued forth
• prāvartanta: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + vṛt (वृत् धातु)
• Form: लङ् (imperfect), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; 'set forth/commenced/issued forth'

• yataḥ: from whom/whence
• yataḥ: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, यतस्-शब्दः; अपादान/हेतुवाचक 'from whom/whence'

• vedāḥ: the Vedas
• vedāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: veda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• sa-aṅgāḥ: together with the auxiliaries (Vedāṅgas)
• sa-aṅgāḥ: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa + aṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः—'अङ्गैः सह' = 'with their limbs/auxiliaries'

• sarvasya: of all
• sarvasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• yonayaḥ: sources/origins
• yonayaḥ: Karta (Predicate nominal/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yoni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• sa-veda-ādiḥ: together with the Vedas and the rest
• sa-veda-ādiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa + veda + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—'वेदादिभिः सह' / 'with the Vedas etc.'

• padma-bhuvā: by the lotus-born (Brahmā)
• padma-bhuvā: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: padma + bhū (भू धातु → भुव्/भू)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—'पद्मात् भूः' = 'lotus-born (Brahmā)'

• purastāt: in front/before
• purastāt: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purastāt (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देश/कालवाचक अव्यय; 'in front/before'

• avalokitaḥ: was observed/beheld
• avalokitaḥ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ava + lok (लोक् धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मणि—'was beheld/observed'

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Audience seeking the ultimate ground of Kāśī’s mokṣa teaching

Visual Art Cues

Scene: From a radiant, unmanifest center emanate the four Vedas as luminous scrolls with their aṅgas as attendant rays; Brahmā (Padmabhū) stands before this revelation, witnessing the ‘veda-ādi’ source as a blazing, serene presence.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā (Padmabhū)
• Vedas
• Vedāṅgas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The ultimate principle is the fountainhead of revelation itself—the Vedas and their limbs arise from it.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the setting in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, presenting liberation through the highest revelation and its source.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicit; the verse is doctrinal, describing the origin of Vedic revelation.