Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

यथा स्तोतुं भवानीश प्रभवाभि भवांतकम । संस्पृश्य विष्णुस्तत्कंठं गुप्तमेव जगाम ह

Transliteration

yathā stotuṃ bhavānīśa prabhavābhi bhavāṃtakama | saṃspṛśya viṣṇustatkaṃṭhaṃ guptameva jagāma ha

Translation

ഹേ ഭവാനീശ, ഹേ ഭവാന്തക! അവൻ നിന്നെ സ്തുതിക്കാനാകുവാൻ വിഷ്ണു അവന്റെ കണ്ഠം സ്പർശിച്ചു; പിന്നെ അവൻ അദൃശ്യനായി പുറപ്പെട്ടു.

Word by Word

• यथा: so that / in such a way that
• यथा: Prakaraṇa (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सम्बन्ध/प्रकारवाचक (manner/so that)

• स्तोतुम्: to praise
• स्तोतुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्तु (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त infinitive; ‘to praise’

• भवानीश: O Lord of Bhavānī (Śiva)
• भवानीश: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भवानी (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (भवान्याः ईशः)

• प्रभव: O source/origin
• प्रभव: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अभि: towards/over
• अभि: Upasarga (Prefix/उपसर्ग)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अभि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
• Form: उपसर्ग/अव्यय; ‘towards/over’

• भव-अन्तकम: O destroyer of worldly existence
• भव-अन्तकम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भव (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्तक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन/द्वितीया-एकवचन (contextually vocative: O ender of saṃsāra); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (भवस्य अन्तकः)

• संस्पृश्य: having touched
• संस्पृश्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + स्पृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययभाव (gerund); ‘having touched’

• विष्णुः: Viṣṇu
• विष्णुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तत्-कण्ठम्: his throat
• तत्-कण्ठम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + कण्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (तस्य कण्ठः)

• गुप्तम्: hidden/secret
• गुप्तम्: Karma (Object complement/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गुप्त (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त from गुप् धातु)
• Form: गुप्-धातोः क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• जगाम: went
• जगाम: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ह: indeed/then (particle)
• ह: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ह (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात; कथन-समाप्ति/स्मरणार्थक

Speaker

Narratorial voice within Skanda’s discourse to Agastya (deduced Kāśīkhaṇḍa frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta-Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Viṣṇu gently touches the devotee’s throat to restore speech so he may praise Śiva, then vanishes from sight, leaving a charged stillness.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Śiva
• Bhavānī (Pārvatī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even the greatest deities support the glorification of Śiva; devotion and praise are aided by divine grace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī, the city of Viśvanātha, where praise of Śiva is portrayed as supremely potent.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the focus is on enabling stotra (hymn/praise) as a devotional act.