Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 79

Devanagari script

वाराणस्याः कथां प्रोच्चैः कुर्वंतोऽन्योन्यमेव हि । काशीकथां समाकर्ण्य तदा ते चरणायुधाः

Transliteration

vārāṇasyāḥ kathāṃ proccaiḥ kurvaṃto'nyonyameva hi | kāśīkathāṃ samākarṇya tadā te caraṇāyudhāḥ

Translation

അവർ പരസ്പരം ഉച്ചത്തിൽ വാരാണസിയുടെ കഥ പറഞ്ഞുകൊണ്ടിരുന്നു; കാശീകഥ കേട്ടപ്പോൾ ആ ‘ചരണായുധ’ കുക്കുടങ്ങൾ അപ്പോൾ ഉള്ളിൽ ഉണർന്നു.

Word by Word

• वाराणस्याः: of Vārāṇasī
• वाराणस्याः: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाराणसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• कथाम्: story, account
• कथाम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• प्रोच्चैः: aloud, loudly
• प्रोच्चैः: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रोच्चैः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण/adverb)

• कुर्वन्तः: doing, speaking (engaged in)
• कुर्वन्तः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) → कुर्वत् (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ/Present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्तरि—'ते' इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• अन्योन्यम्: to one another, mutually
• अन्योन्यम्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्योन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोगः; क्रियाविशेषण (mutually)

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

• हि: for, indeed
• हि: Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/particle; हेत्वर्थ/समर्थन)

• काशी-कथाम्: the story of Kāśī
• काशी-कथाम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक) + कथा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (काश्याः कथा)

• समाकर्ण्य: having heard
• समाकर्ण्य: Purvakala-kriya (Absolutive)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-√कर्ण्/√श्रु (धातु; 'to hear') → समाकर्ण्य (क्त्वा)
• Form: अव्ययकृदन्त (क्त्वा/gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया; 'having heard'

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक/adverb of time)

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• चरण-आयुधाः: those whose weapons are feet (birds)
• चरण-आयुधाः: Karta (Subject/Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चरण (प्रातिपदिक) + आयुध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; समासः—बहुव्रीहि (येषां चरणाः आयुधानि = whose weapons are their feet; i.e., birds)

Speaker

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

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Ascetics walking and speaking animatedly about Vārāṇasī; four roosters pause, heads tilted, as if listening; a subtle aura or ripple indicates inner stirring upon hearing Kāśī-kathā.

Characters & Entities

• Vārāṇasī
• Kāśī
• kukkuṭa (implied by caraṇāyudha)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śravaṇa (hearing) of a tīrtha’s glory—especially Kāśī—can awaken latent spiritual impressions even in non-human beings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) is praised through its kathā (māhātmya), leading into the Muktimaṇḍapa/Kukkuṭamaṇḍapa episode.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The implied practice is śravaṇa—devout listening to Kāśī’s māhātmya.