Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

व्यास उवाच । शृणु सूत प्रवक्ष्यामि कथां कलशजन्मनः । यामाकर्ण्य नरो भूयाद्विरजा ज्ञानभाजनम्

Transliteration

vyāsa uvāca | śṛṇu sūta pravakṣyāmi kathāṃ kalaśajanmanaḥ | yāmākarṇya naro bhūyādvirajā jñānabhājanam

Translation

ବ୍ୟାସ କହିଲେ—ହେ ସୂତ, ଶୁଣ; ମୁଁ କଳଶଜନ୍ମା (ଅଗସ୍ତ୍ୟ)ଙ୍କ କଥା କହିବି। ତାହା ଶୁଣିଲେ ମନୁଷ୍ୟ ନିର୍ମଳ ହୋଇ ଜ୍ଞାନର ପାତ୍ର ହୁଏ।

Word by Word

• vyāsaḥ: Vyāsa
• vyāsaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vyāsa (प्रातिपदिक; नाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वच्, धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• śṛṇu: listen
• śṛṇu: Kriyā (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śru (श्रु, धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• sūta: O Sūta
• sūta: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• pravakṣyāmi: I shall tell
• pravakṣyāmi: Kriyā (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√vac (वच्, धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• kathām: story
• kathām: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kathā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• kalaśa-janmanaḥ: of the pot-born (Agastya)
• kalaśa-janmanaḥ: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kalaśa (प्रातिपदिक) + janman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (kalaśasya janma = whose birth is from a pot)

• yām: which (story)
• yām: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (यद्, सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-प्रत्यय (relative pronoun)

• ākarṇya: having heard
• ākarṇya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√karṇ (कर्ण्/श्रवणार्थे, धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकाल (having heard)

• naraḥ: a man
• naraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• bhūyāt: would become
• bhūyāt: Kriyā (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (भू, धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• virajā: free from impurity
• virajā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi-rajas (रजस्, प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (rajas-rahita)

• jñāna-bhājanam: a vessel of knowledge
• jñāna-bhājanam: Karta (Subject complement/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jñāna (प्रातिपदिक) + bhājana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी/उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (jñānasya bhājanam = receptacle of knowledge)

Speaker

Vyāsa

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sūta

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Frame dialogue: Vyāsa addresses Sūta, announcing the Agastya story; a hermitage setting with manuscripts, kusa grass seats, and attentive assembly.

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• Sūta
• Agastya (Kalaśajanman)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic listening (kathā-śravaṇa) purifies the listener and prepares the mind as a vessel for liberating knowledge.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The immediate site is not named in this verse; it introduces a Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative that unfolds within Kāśī’s sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The implied sādhana is attentive listening to the kathā; no dāna, snāna, or vrata is specified here.