Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

अनुक्रमणिकाध्यायं तथा माहात्म्यमुत्तमम् । पाराशर्य समाचक्ष्व यथापूर्वमिदं भवेत्

Transliteration

anukramaṇikādhyāyaṃ tathā māhātmyamuttamam | pārāśarya samācakṣva yathāpūrvamidaṃ bhavet

Translation

ഹേ പാരാശര്യാ! അനുക്രമണികാ-അധ്യായവും ഈ ഉത്തമമായ മാഹാത്മ്യവും മുമ്പെപ്പോലെ തന്നെ ഇവിടെ യഥാവിധി വിശദീകരിക്കണമേ।

Word by Word

• अनुक्रमणिकाध्यायम्: the chapter of the index/contents
• अनुक्रमणिकाध्यायम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनुक्रमणिका + अध्याय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (अनुक्रमणिकायाः अध्यायः)

• तथा: and also
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अन्वयार्थक (and/also)

• माहात्म्यम्: the greatness, sacred glory
• माहात्म्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उत्तमम्: excellent, supreme
• उत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (माहात्म्यम्)

• पाराशर्य: O Pārāśarya (son of Parāśara)
• पाराशर्य: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाराशर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; संबोधनम्

• समाचक्ष्व: tell, relate
• समाचक्ष्व: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + चक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• यथा: as, in such a way that
• यथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमान/प्रकारवाचक (as, in the manner that)

• पूर्वम्: formerly, earlier
• पूर्वम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावेन प्रयुक्तम्; क्रियाविशेषण (formerly/before)

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• भवेत्: may be, should become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (संभावना/विधान), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Sūta (addressing Vyāsa as Pārāśarya) — inferred from Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative setting

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārāśarya (Vyāsa) addressed by interlocutor

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A formal request to the sage to recite the index and the supreme Kāśī-māhātmya exactly as preserved; a quiet scholastic setting with palm-leaf manuscripts and attentive disciples.

Characters & Entities

• Pārāśarya (Vyāsa)
• Māhātmya
• Anukramaṇikā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred knowledge should be transmitted faithfully—preserving the earlier tradition while proclaiming the Māhātmya (spiritual greatness).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The wider context is Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, though this verse itself introduces the forthcoming glorification.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it is a narrative instruction to present the index and Māhātmya accurately.