Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

स्कंद उवाच । मुक्तिमंडपतः शंभुर्ब्रह्मविष्णुपुरोगमः । शृंगारमंडपं प्राप्य यच्चकार वदामि तत्

Transliteration

skaṃda uvāca | muktimaṃḍapataḥ śaṃbhurbrahmaviṣṇupurogamaḥ | śṛṃgāramaṃḍapaṃ prāpya yaccakāra vadāmi tat

Translation

സ്കന്ദൻ പറഞ്ഞു—മുക്തി-മണ്ഡപത്തിൽ നിന്ന് ബ്രഹ്മാവും വിഷ്ണുവും മുൻപായി ശംഭു ശൃംഗാര-മണ്ഡപത്തിൽ എത്തി. അവിടെ അദ്ദേഹം ചെയ്തതു ഞാൻ ഇപ്പോൾ പ്രസ്താവിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• स्कन्दः: Skanda
• स्कन्दः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्कन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• मुक्ति-मण्डपतः: from the liberation-hall
• मुक्ति-मण्डपतः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुक्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + मण्डप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन (Singular)

• शम्भुः: Śambhu (Śiva)
• शम्भुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शम्भु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• ब्रह्म-विष्णु-पुरोगमः: having Brahmā and Viṣṇu in front (preceded by them)
• ब्रह्म-विष्णु-पुरोगमः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक) + पुरोगम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (adjective) शम्भोः

• शृङ्गार-मण्डपम्: the Śṛṅgāra pavilion
• शृङ्गार-मण्डपम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शृङ्गार (प्रातिपदिक) + मण्डप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्राप्य: having reached
• प्राप्य: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), अव्ययभाव (indeclinable verbal), पूर्वकाल (prior action)

• यत्: what (that which)
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); सम्बन्धक (relative)

• चकार: did
• चकार: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• वदामि: I tell
• वदामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तम-पुरुष (1st person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mukti-maṇḍapa / Śṛṅgāra-maṇḍapa (Kāśī precinct)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A divine movement from the Mukti-maṇḍapa to the Śṛṅgāra-maṇḍapa: Śiva advances in majesty, with Brahmā and Viṣṇu preceding/attending, as Skanda narrates the impending act of revelation.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Śiva (Śaṃbhu)
• Brahmā
• Viṣṇu
• Mukti-maṇḍapa
• Śṛṅgāra-maṇḍapa
• Kāśī (implied context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In Kāśī, liberation is presented as Śiva’s living presence—approached through sacred spaces and attentive hearing of his acts.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the overarching tīrtha; within it, the Mukti-maṇḍapa and Śṛṅgāra-maṇḍapa are highlighted as sanctified locales.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed here; it introduces a sacred narrative meant to be heard (śravaṇa) as part of Kāśī-māhātmya.