Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

देवदेव उवाच । शृण्वपर्णेभिधास्यामि केदारेश्वर संकथाम् । समाकर्ण्यापि यां पापोप्यपापो जायते क्षणात्

Transliteration

devadeva uvāca | śṛṇvaparṇebhidhāsyāmi kedāreśvara saṃkathām | samākarṇyāpi yāṃ pāpopyapāpo jāyate kṣaṇāt

Translation

ദേവദേവൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—ഹേ അപർണേ, ശ്രവിക്കൂ; ഞാൻ കേദാരേശ്വരന്റെ പുണ്യസങ്കഥ പറയാം; അത് കേട്ടാൽ പാപിയും ക്ഷണത്തിൽ പാപരഹിതനാകും।

Word by Word

• देवदेव: the God of gods
• देवदेव: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (देवानां देवः)

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

• शृणु: listen
• शृणु: Kriya (Command/आज्ञा)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अपर्णे: O Aparṇā
• अपर्णे: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अपर्णा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अभिधास्यामि: I shall narrate
• अभिधास्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि + धा (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (भविष्यत्/Future), उत्तम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• केदारेश्वर: O Lord of Kedāra
• केदारेश्वर: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केदार (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (केदारस्य ईश्वरः)

• संकथाम्: the sacred narrative
• संकथाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संकथा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• समाकर्ण्य: having heard fully
• समाकर्ण्य: Kriya (Adverbial action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + कर्ण्/कृ (धातु; समाकर्णयति इति causative base)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); ‘having heard completely’

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• याम्: which
• याम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम; विशेषणम् (संकथाम् इति)

• पापः: a sinner
• पापः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (जनः/मर्त्यः implied)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• अपापः: sinless
• अपापः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ + पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (सः implied)

• जायते: becomes
• जायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• क्षणात्: in an instant
• क्षणात्: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अपादानार्थे (from/within a moment)

Speaker

Śiva (Devadeva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāreśvara (Kedāra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Aparṇā (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva begins narration to Aparṇā (Pārvatī), seated in calm majesty; the words themselves are visualized as luminous script flowing outward, touching a shadowed sinner who becomes radiant instantly.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Aparṇā (Pārvatī)
• Kedāreśvara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Hearing a tīrtha-māhātmya with faith is itself a purifying sādhanā leading to inner transformation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kedāreśvara (Kedāra) is explicitly glorified through its saṃkathā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śravaṇa—attentive listening to the Kedāreśvara narrative—is indicated as efficacious.