Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

इति ते करुणेशस्य महिमोक्तो महत्तरः । यं श्रुत्वा नोपसर्गोत्थं भयं काश्यां भविष्यति

Transliteration

iti te karuṇeśasya mahimokto mahattaraḥ | yaṃ śrutvā nopasargotthaṃ bhayaṃ kāśyāṃ bhaviṣyati

Translation

ഇങ്ങനെ നിനക്കു കരുണേശന്റെ അതിമഹത്തായ മഹിമ പ്രസ്താവിക്കപ്പെട്ടു. ഇത് കേട്ടാൽ കാശിയിൽ ദുരന്തജന്യമായ ഭയം ഉദിക്കുകയില്ല.

Word by Word

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/समाप्ति-निपात (thus)

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया/चतुर्थी (2nd/4th), एकवचन; एन्क्लिटिक रूप; ‘to you’ (dative) अथवा ‘you’ (acc.)—अत्र चतुर्थी (to you) अधिक युक्ता

• करुणेशस्य: of Karuṇeśa
• करुणेशस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: करुणा (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष; पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• महिमा: greatness
• महिमा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महिमा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• उक्तः: has been stated
• उक्तः: Karya (Predicate adjective/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वच् (धातु) → उक्त (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (said/told); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; ‘महिमा’ इत्यस्य विशेषण

• महत्तरः: greater
• महत्तरः: Karya (Predicate adjective/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तुलनात्मक-विशेषण (comparative); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• यम्: which/whom
• यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative)

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: श्रु (धातु) → श्रुत्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund): having heard

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात

• उपसर्गोत्थम्: arising from calamity
• उपसर्गोत्थम्: Karya (Adjectival to object/विधेय-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उपसर्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्थ (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (उपसर्गात् उत्थम् = arising from calamity); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; ‘भयम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषण

• भयम्: fear
• भयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• काश्याम्: in Kāśī
• काश्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण

• भविष्यति: will be/arise
• भविष्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Karuṇeśvara-mahima (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A small assembly in Kāśī listens to a paurāṇika reciting Karuṇeśvara’s glory; listeners sit calmly, fear dissolving; behind them, the river and temple spires suggest the protective kṣetra.

Characters & Entities

• Karuṇeśa
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred hearing (śravaṇa) of a kṣetra’s māhātmya is itself protective and faith-strengthening within the Purāṇic worldview.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī through the specific greatness (mahimā) of Karuṇeśa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śravaṇa—listening to the Karuṇeśa māhātmya—is presented as efficacious.