Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 60

Devanagari script

उपायं चापि पप्रच्छ गंतुं तां चंपकावतीम् । नारदेन पुनः प्रोक्तः स राजा गिरिराजजे

Transliteration

upāyaṃ cāpi papraccha gaṃtuṃ tāṃ caṃpakāvatīm | nāradena punaḥ proktaḥ sa rājā girirājaje

Translation

അവൻ ചമ്പകാവതിയിലേക്കു പോകാനുള്ള ഉപായവും ചോദിച്ചു. അപ്പോൾ, ഹേ ഗിരിരാജകുമാരീ, നാരദൻ വീണ്ടും ആ രാജാവിനെ ഉപദേശിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• उपायम्: means, method
• उपायम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: upāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन = masculine, accusative singular

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय) = conjunction

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Emphasis/अन्वय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (सम्भावना/अपि-कार) = particle

• पप्रच्छ: asked
• पप्रच्छ: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + पृच्छ् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद = perfect, 3rd person singular

• गन्तुम्: to go
• गन्तुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु) + तुमुन् (कृदन्त)
• Form: तुमुनन्त कृदन्त (infinitive), अव्ययवत् = infinitive ‘to go’

• ताम्: that (woman/city)
• ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन = feminine, accusative singular

• चम्पकावतीम्: Campakāvatī
• चम्पकावतीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म) (destination)
• Type: Noun
• Root: campakāvatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन = feminine, accusative singular (proper noun)

• नारदेन: by Nārada
• नारदेन: Karana (Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन = masculine, instrumental singular

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = adverb ‘again’

• प्रोक्तः: was told, was instructed
• प्रोक्तः: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (भूतकृत्), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन = past passive participle, masc. nom. sg. (‘was told’)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन = masculine, nominative singular

• राजा: the king
• राजा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता) (apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन = masculine, nominative singular

• गिरिराजजे: O daughter of the king of mountains
• गिरिराजजे: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: girirāja (प्रातिपदिक) + ja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (गिरिराजस्य जा) = feminine, vocative singular (addressing Pārvatī)

Speaker

Narrator (within the dialogue; attributed to Skanda in Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Campakāvatī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: In-frame audience; address 'girirājaje' indicates narration to Pārvatī or a feminine divine addressee in this sub-dialogue context (contextual/uncertain without surrounding verses)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The king asks for the method to go to Campakāvatī; Nārada again instructs him—an image of seeker and guide poised at the threshold of a journey.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• King
• Campakāvatī
• Girirāja (Himālaya, implied by epithet)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Right ends require right means; guidance from a realized sage clarifies the path to one’s dharmic destination.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Campakāvatī is named as the destination in the narrative; the broader textual setting remains Kāśīkhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it introduces the request for a practical method to travel/attain the goal.