Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 87

Devanagari script

इति यावद्वरं दत्ते पितृभ्यो वृषभध्वजः । तावन्नदी समागत्य प्रणम्येशं व्यजिज्ञपत्

Transliteration

iti yāvadvaraṃ datte pitṛbhyo vṛṣabhadhvajaḥ | tāvannadī samāgatya praṇamyeśaṃ vyajijñapat

Translation

अशा रीतीने वृषभध्वज पितरांना वर देत असतानाच नदी आली, ईश्वराला प्रणाम करून विनयाने विचारू लागली।

Word by Word

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इति-शब्दः (quotative particle/‘thus’)

• यावत्: as long as; until
• यावत्: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; काल-परिमाणवाचक (as long as/while)

• वरम्: boon
• वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Accusative singular)

• दत्ते: gives
• दत्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; √दा (to give)

• पितृभ्यः: to the fathers/ancestors
• पितृभ्यः: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Dative plural)

• वृषभध्वजः: the one whose banner is the bull (Śiva)
• वृषभध्वजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृषभ (प्रातिपदिक) + ध्वज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (वृषभस्य ध्वजः)

• तावत्: meanwhile; then
• तावत्: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तावत्-शब्दः (so long/then)

• नदी: the river (Gaṅgā)
• नदी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Nominative singular)

• समागत्य: having come
• समागत्य: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund); √गम् (to go) with उपसर्ग सम्+आ; ‘having come/arrived’

• प्रणम्य: having bowed
• प्रणम्य: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + नम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund); √नम् (to bow) with उपसर्ग प्र; ‘having bowed’

• ईशम्: the Lord (Īśa/Śiva)
• ईशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Accusative singular)

• व्यजिज्ञपत्: informed; made a request
• व्यजिज्ञपत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + ज्ञप् (धातु)
• Form: लुङ्-लकार (Aorist/Imperfective past), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; √ज्ञप् (to inform/request) with उपसर्ग वि; reduplicated aorist formation

Speaker

Narrator (Skanda) describing events

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī–Gaṅgā (implicit)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva (Vṛṣabhadhvaja) seated in serene majesty, granting boons to assembled pitṛs; Gaṅgā as a radiant river-goddess arrives, bows, and asks a question with folded hands; Kāśī’s ghats and a luminous liṅga-shrine suggested in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Vṛṣabhadhvaja (Śiva)
• Pitṛs
• River (Nadī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even sacred rivers approach the Lord with humility; divine boons flow through reverence and proper inquiry.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The scene remains anchored in the Vṛṣabhadhvaja/Vṛṣadhvaja tīrtha setting within Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a narrative connector marking the arrival of the river and the continuation of the tīrtha-māhātmya.