Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

इति श्रुत्वा शिखिरथः कुंभयोनेरुदीरितम् । सूत संकथयामास दक्षेश्वर समुद्भवम्

Transliteration

iti śrutvā śikhirathaḥ kuṃbhayonerudīritam | sūta saṃkathayāmāsa dakṣeśvara samudbhavam

Translation

കുംഭയോനി (അഗസ്ത്യൻ) ഉച്ചരിച്ചതിനെ ഇങ്ങനെ ശ്രവിച്ച ശേഷം, ഹേ സൂത, ശിഖിരഥൻ ദക്ഷേശ്വരന്റെ ഉദ്ഭവം വിശദമായി വിവരിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उक्त्यर्थक-अव्यय (quotative particle: thus)

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Kriya (Gerundial action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (having heard)

• शिखिरथः: Śikhiratha
• शिखिरथः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिखिरथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• कुम्भयोनेः: of Kumbhayoni (Agastya)
• कुम्भयोनेः: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुम्भ + योनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Genitive, Singular)

• उदीरितम्: what was spoken
• उदीरितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद् + ईर् (धातु) (कृदन्त: उदीरित)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (Past participle, Neuter, Accusative, Singular; ‘uttered/said’)

• सूत: O Sūta
• सूत: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (सम्बोधन), एकवचन (Masculine, Vocative, Singular)

• संकथयामास: narrated, recounted
• संकथयामास: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + कथ् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (Perfect, Parasmaipada, 3rd person, Singular)

• दक्षेश्वर: Dakṣeśvara (name of the liṅga)
• दक्षेश्वर: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्ष + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

• समुद्भवम्: the origin (account)
• समुद्भवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सम् + उद् + भू (धातु) (कृदन्त: समुद्भव)
• Form: कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘समुद्भवम्’ = उत्पत्तिवृत्तान्तम् (Masculine, Accusative, Singular; ‘origin/manifestation’)

Speaker

Narratorial frame (Sūta as the reciter is directly addressed; content reports Śikhiratha’s narration after Agastya’s words)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dakṣeśvara (origin narrative)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sūta

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A layered storytelling moment: after hearing Agastya’s words, Śikhiratha turns to Sūta and begins recounting the detailed origin of Dakṣeśvara—like a relay of sacred memory.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Śikhiratha
• Kumbhayoni (Agastya)
• Dakṣeśvara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography is preserved through lineage narration—teachers and reciters transmit the māhātmya so pilgrims may understand a site’s hidden power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dakṣeśvara (a revered Śiva-Liṅga of Kāśī) whose origin story is about to be told.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse establishes the authoritative transmission of the Dakṣeśvara-māhātmya.