Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

अगस्त्य उवाच । विंध्य साधुरसि प्राज्ञ मां च जानासि तत्त्वतः । पुनरागमनं चेन्मे तावत्खर्वतरो भव

Transliteration

agastya uvāca | viṃdhya sādhurasi prājña māṃ ca jānāsi tattvataḥ | punarāgamanaṃ cenme tāvatkharvataro bhava

Translation

ਅਗਸਤ੍ਯ ਨੇ ਕਿਹਾ: “ਹੇ ਵਿਂਧ੍ਯ, ਤੂੰ ਭਲਾ ਤੇ ਬੁੱਧੀਮਾਨ ਹੈਂ, ਅਤੇ ਮੈਨੂੰ ਤੱਤਵ ਰੂਪ ਵਿੱਚ ਜਾਣਦਾ ਹੈਂ। ਇਸ ਲਈ ਜਦ ਤੱਕ ਮੈਂ ਮੁੜ ਨਾ ਆਵਾਂ, ਤੂੰ ਇਉਂ ਹੀ ਛੋਟਾ ਰਹਿ।”

Word by Word

• अगस्त्यः: Agastya
• अगस्त्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अगस्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (speaker)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• विंध्य: O Vindhya
• विंध्य: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विंध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• साधुः: good, virtuous
• साधुः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: साधु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• असि: you are
• असि: Kriyā (Copula)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd), एकवचन

• प्राज्ञ: O wise one
• प्राज्ञ: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• माम्: me
• माम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष सर्वनाम, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• जानासि: you know
• जानासि: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तत्त्वतः: truly, in essence
• तत्त्वतः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्त्व (प्रातिपदिक) + तस् (तसिल्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: तसिलन्त-अव्यय (adverb): 'in truth/essentially'

• पुनरागमनम्: returning again, return
• पुनरागमनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुनर् (अव्यय) + आगमन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अव्यय-पूर्वपद तत्पुरुष (पुनः आगमनम्)

• चेत्: if
• चेत्: Hetu/Śarti (Condition marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चेत् (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्त-अव्यय (conditional particle: 'if')

• मे: of me, my
• मे: Sambandha (Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष सर्वनाम, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

• तावत्: until then, so long
• तावत्: Kāla/Avadhi (Temporal limit)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: परिमाण/अवधि-अव्यय (until then/so long)

• खर्वतरः: smaller, diminished
• खर्वतरः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: खर्वतर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• भव: become, be
• भव: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Agastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vindhya (as a sacred mountain threshold)

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: (Audience/śaunaka-type assembly, implicit)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Agastya addresses Vindhya with calm authority, blessing its goodness while imposing a gentle but firm injunction to remain diminished until his return.

Characters & Entities

• Agastya
• Vindhya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A sage’s truthful word, grounded in tapas, establishes cosmic order; humility preserves harmony.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse concerns the Vindhya range—an iconic sacred-geographical boundary in Purāṇic India.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a narrative of command (ājñā) and restraint (niyama) in the landscape.