Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

योसौ पूर्वं महाकांतिरावाभ्यां परिवर्णितः । साम्राज्यपदमापन्नो द्विजराजस्तवाग्रतः

Transliteration

yosau pūrvaṃ mahākāṃtirāvābhyāṃ parivarṇitaḥ | sāmrājyapadamāpanno dvijarājastavāgrataḥ

Translation

Тот самый, исполненный великого сияния, о ком мы двое говорили прежде, достиг ступени владычества; «царь среди дважды-рождённых» ныне стоит пред тобою.

Word by Word

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); सम्बन्धवाचक-सर्वनाम (relative)

• asau: that (person)
• asau: Viśeṣya (that which is qualified)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adas (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); निर्देशवाचक-सर्वनाम (demonstrative)

• pūrvam: formerly, earlier
• pūrvam: Adhikarana (Time locus/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrvam (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• mahā-kāntiḥ: great splendor
• mahā-kāntiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + kānti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); समासः—कर्मधारयः

• āvābhyām: by us two
• āvābhyām: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), द्विवचन (Dual); सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• parivarṇitaḥ: described
• parivarṇitaḥ: Kriya (Predicate participle/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari-√varṇ (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• sāmrājya-padam: the status/position of sovereignty
• sāmrājya-padam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sāmrājya (प्रातिपदिक) + pada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); समासः—तत्पुरुषः

• āpannaḥ: having attained
• āpannaḥ: Kriya (Predicate participle/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: āpanna (प्रातिपदिक; √āp/āp- with prefix ā-; PPP)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• dvija-rājaḥ: king of the twice-born (best of Brahmins)
• dvija-rājaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक) + rāja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); समासः—तत्पुरुषः

• tava: your
• tava: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (Singular); सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• agrataḥ: in front (of you)
• agrataḥ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: agrataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (spatial adverb: in front)

Speaker

Bhagavad-gaṇas (two attendants)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śivaśarman

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A splendid twice-born figure stands before Śivaśarman, crowned by a subtle aura; the gaṇas gesture as if presenting him, indicating the fulfillment of an earlier description.

Characters & Entities

• Bhagavad-gaṇas
• Śivaśarman
• Dvija-rāja (eminent brāhmaṇa/king among twice-born)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic narratives portray dharma-bearing persons rising to ‘sovereignty’—a symbol of spiritual authority gained through merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse continues the Kāśīkhaṇḍa frame; the immediate focus is a character’s attained status rather than a named tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it functions as narrative setup for the next teaching.