Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 78

Devanagari script

इत्थं बहुतिथेकाले गते कार्पटिकोत्तमाः । तस्मिन्नेवाध्वनि प्राप्ताश्चत्वारो यत्र कुक्कुटाः

Transliteration

itthaṃ bahutithekāle gate kārpaṭikottamāḥ | tasminnevādhvani prāptāścatvāro yatra kukkuṭāḥ

Translation

ഇങ്ങനെ അനേകം ദിവസങ്ങൾ കഴിഞ്ഞപ്പോൾ ആ ശ്രേഷ്ഠ കാർപടിക തപസ്വികൾ അതേ വഴിയിൽ എത്തി; അവിടെ നാലു കുക്കുടങ്ങൾ ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നു.

Word by Word

• इत्थम्: thus, in this manner
• इत्थम्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इत्थम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण/adverb)

• बहु-तिथे-काले: when much time (many days) had passed
• बहु-तिथे-काले: Adhikaraṇa (Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक) + तिथि (प्रातिपदिक) + काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (बहुतिथिः = many days; तस्मिन् काले)

• गते: having gone, elapsed
• गते: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गम् (धातु) → गत (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; 'काले' इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• कार्पटिक-उत्तमाः: the best of the beggars/ascetics (kārpaṭikas)
• कार्पटिक-उत्तमाः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्पटिक (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (श्रेष्ठाः कार्पटिकाः)

• तस्मिन्: in that (place/time)
• तस्मिन्: Adhikaraṇa (Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Sambandha/Emphasis (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/particle; अवधारण)

• अध्वनि: on the road, on the path
• अध्वनि: Adhikaraṇa (Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अध्वन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative), एकवचन

• प्राप्ताः: arrived, reached
• प्राप्ताः: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु) → प्राप्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP) प्रयुक्तं क्रियापदवत्; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगः (they arrived)

• चत्वारः: four
• चत्वारः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर् (संख्या/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; संख्यावाचक

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Locative sense)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (सम्बन्धबोधक/relative adverb)

• कुक्कुटाः: roosters
• कुक्कुटाः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुक्कुट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa context, typically Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (Vārāṇasī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Four ascetics in patched garments (kārpaṭikas) arrive after a long journey at a dusty road-junction; four roosters stand as uncanny sentinels, the city’s sacred aura faintly suggested in the distance.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• kārpaṭika (ascetics)
• kukkuṭa (roosters)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy encounters in Kāśī unfold through time and providence; even the path itself becomes a conduit to liberation-themed sites.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative is moving toward the Muktimaṇḍapa, later identified as the Kukkuṭamaṇḍapa in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly in this verse; it sets the pilgrimage scene and arrival.