Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

देवोतिविस्मयापन्नो ऽवर्णयत्पीठगौरवम् । त्रैलोक्यनगरे चात्र काशीराजगृहं मम

Transliteration

devotivismayāpanno 'varṇayatpīṭhagauravam | trailokyanagare cātra kāśīrājagṛhaṃ mama

Translation

അത്യധിക വിസ്മയത്തിൽ മുങ്ങിയ ദേവൻ ആ പുണ്യപീഠത്തിന്റെ ഗൗരവം വർണ്ണിച്ചു; കൂടാതെ ഇവിടെ, ത്രൈലോക്യനഗരസമമായ ഈ നഗരത്തിൽ, കാശിയിലെ എന്റെ രാജഗൃഹത്തെയും പറഞ്ഞു।

Word by Word

• देव: the god; the deity
• देव: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन (masculine nominative singular)

• अति: exceedingly, very
• अति: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अति (अव्यय)
• Form: उपसर्ग/अव्यय (intensifier)

• विस्मयापन्नः: overcome with astonishment
• विस्मयापन्नः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विस्मय + आपन्न (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √आप्/आप्नोति (धातु) ‘to attain’)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; तृतीया/सप्तमी-भावे तत्पुरुषसदृशः (विस्मयम् आपन्नः = having fallen into astonishment)

• अवर्णयत्: described
• अवर्णयत्: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वर्ण् (धातु) with अव-उपसर्ग
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद (imperfect, 3rd person singular, active)

• पीठगौरवम्: the greatness/glory of the seat/throne
• पीठगौरवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पीठ + गौरव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पीठस्य गौरवम्) (neuter accusative singular)

• त्रैलोक्यनगरे: in the city of the three worlds
• त्रैलोक्यनगरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रैलोक्य + नगर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (त्रैलोक्यस्य नगरम्) (neuter locative singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (adverb of place)

• काशीराजगृहम्: the house/palace of the king of Kāśī
• काशीराजगृहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी + राज + गृह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (काशीराजस्य गृहम्) (neuter nom/acc singular)

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी विभक्ति, एकवचन (genitive singular pronoun)

Speaker

Narrator voice within Kāśīkhaṇḍa (deductively Skanda to Agastya); the ‘Deva’ is a character being reported

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (with a specific pīṭha locus implied)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant deva, astonished, gestures toward a resplendent sacred seat within Kāśī; the city appears layered—earthly ghāṭs and temples merging into a luminous, otherworldly skyline.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Pīṭha (sacred seat)
• Trailokya-nagara (city of three worlds)
• Kāśī-rāja (King of Kāśī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is exalted as a trans-worldly sacred city, and the ‘pīṭha’ (holy seat) is portrayed as awe-inspiring in spiritual authority.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), praised as ‘Trailokya-nagara’; also a revered pīṭha (sacred seat) within its sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse is descriptive, establishing the site’s grandeur.