Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

पश्यतां सर्वदेवानामवरुह्य वृषेंद्रतः । परिष्वज्य गणाधीशं प्रोवाच वृषभध्वजः

Transliteration

paśyatāṃ sarvadevānāmavaruhya vṛṣeṃdrataḥ | pariṣvajya gaṇādhīśaṃ provāca vṛṣabhadhvajaḥ

Translation

സകല ദേവന്മാരും നോക്കിനിൽക്കേ വൃഷഭധ്വജൻ (ശിവൻ) ശ്രേഷ്ഠവൃഷഭനായ നന്ദിയിൽ നിന്നിറങ്ങി. ഗണാധീശനായ ഗണേശനെ ആലിംഗനം ചെയ്ത് സ്നേഹത്തോടെ വചനം പറഞ്ഞു.

Word by Word

• paśyatām: of (those) watching
• paśyatām: Adhikarana (Locative sense via genitive absolute / सापेक्ष-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: paś (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद; वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त-रूपेण (पश्यत्) षष्ठी-बहुवचन (Genitive plural) — 'of those who are seeing'

• sarva-devānām: of all the gods
• sarva-devānām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (सर्व) + deva (देव) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन — 'of all the gods'

• avaruhya: having descended
• avaruhya: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial to main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ava-ruh (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive) — 'having descended'

• vṛṣa-indrataḥ: from the bull-lord
• vṛṣa-indrataḥ: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛṣa (वृष) + indra (इन्द्र) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन — 'from the bull-lord (Nandin)'

• pariṣvajya: having embraced
• pariṣvajya: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari-ṣvaj (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (Gerund) — 'having embraced'

• gaṇādhīśam: the lord of the gaṇas (Gaṇeśa)
• gaṇādhīśam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṇa (गण) + adhīśa (अधीश) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — 'the lord of the gaṇas'

• provāca: spoke
• provāca: Kriya (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — 'said/spoke'

• vṛṣabha-dhvajaḥ: Śiva (bull-bannered)
• vṛṣabha-dhvajaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛṣabha (वृषभ) + dhvaja (ध्वज) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — 'he whose banner is the bull' (Śiva)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual), introducing Śiva’s speech

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Vārāṇasī/Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis/śrotṛ-gaṇa (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: In a radiant divine court near Kāśī, Śiva with bull-banner descends from Nandin as devas watch; Śiva embraces Gaṇeśa, lord of gaṇas, before speaking.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Vṛṣabhadhvaja)
• Gaṇeśa (Gaṇādhīśa)
• Nandin (Vṛṣendra)
• Devas (all gods)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine grace is publicly affirmed: Śiva honors Gaṇeśa before all gods, establishing Gaṇeśa’s role as foremost in auspicious beginnings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The wider passage belongs to the Kāśī Khaṇḍa, oriented to the greatness of Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), though this verse itself sets the scene for that teaching.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it is a narrative preface to praise and instruction.