Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

अथ तत्परिचारिण्यस्त्वरमाणा इतस्ततः । किं किं किमेतदेतत्किं पृच्छंति स्म परस्परम्

Transliteration

atha tatparicāriṇyastvaramāṇā itastataḥ | kiṃ kiṃ kimetadetatkiṃ pṛcchaṃti sma parasparam

Translation

Kemudian para dayangnya bergegas ke sana sini, saling bertanya berulang-ulang: “Apa ini? Apa yang telah berlaku? Ini apa sebenarnya?”

Word by Word

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक-अव्यय (then)

• tat-paricāriṇyaḥ: her attendants
• tat-paricāriṇyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + paricāriṇī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), प्रथमा (Nom., 1st), बहुवचन (pl.); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (tasya paricāriṇyaḥ)

• tvaramāṇāḥ: hurrying
• tvaramāṇāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tvar (धातु) (शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (present participle, शतृ), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), प्रथमा (Nom.), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (paricāriṇyaḥ)

• itaḥ: from here
• itaḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: itaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (from here)

• tataḥ: from there
• tataḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (from there)

• kim: what?
• kim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• kim: what?
• kim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (emphasis)

• kim: what
• kim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; निर्देशक-सर्वनाम

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (emphasis)

• kim: what?
• kim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• pṛcchanti: they ask
• pṛcchanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prach (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन (pl.); परस्मैपदम्; धातु: प्रच्छ्—‘पृच्छति’

• sma: indeed / (narrative particle)
• sma: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sma (अव्यय)
• Form: स्म-प्रयोगः (particle indicating past/continuative narrative nuance)

• parasparam: to one another
• parasparam: Kriya-visheshana (Reciprocal/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: paraspara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: परस्परम्-शब्दः अव्ययीभाववत् क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण (reciprocal adverb)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa typically Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (general)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Attendants rush back and forth around the motionless woman, turning to each other with repeated questions; gestures show alarm and urgency; background suggests a sacred precinct.

Characters & Entities

• Kalāvatī (implied)
• Attendants (paricāriṇyaḥ)
• Jñānavāpī (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual transformation can appear mysterious to observers; inner grace may not be immediately intelligible outwardly.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Jñānavāpī by narrative context, as the setting for the extraordinary event.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.