Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

अगस्तिरुवाच । शृणु पत्नि महाभागे लोपामुद्रे सधर्मिणि । कथा विष्णुगणाभ्यां च कथितां शिवशर्मणे

Transliteration

agastiruvāca | śṛṇu patni mahābhāge lopāmudre sadharmiṇi | kathā viṣṇugaṇābhyāṃ ca kathitāṃ śivaśarmaṇe

Translation

அகஸ்தியர் கூறினார்—மகாபாக்யவதியான லோபாமுத்ரே, தர்மத்தில் துணைவியே! விஷ்ணுவின் இரு கணங்கள் சிவசர்மனுக்குச் சொன்ன கதையை நீ கேள்.

Word by Word

• agastiḥ: Agastya
• agastiḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: agasti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Speech act)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• śṛṇu: listen
• śṛṇu: Kriya (Command)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (श्रु धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• patni: O wife
• patni: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: patnī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• mahābhāge: O greatly fortunate one
• mahābhāge: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन; ‘महान् भागः यस्याः’ इत्यर्थे विशेषण

• lopāmudre: O Lopāmudrā
• lopāmudre: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lopāmudrā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• sadharmiṇi: O partner in dharma
• sadharmiṇi: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (सह/सम्-प्रातिपदिक) + dharmin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन; ‘सधर्मिणी’ = सहधर्मचारिणी (partner in dharma)

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

• viṣṇu-gaṇābhyām: by the two attendants of Viṣṇu
• viṣṇu-gaṇābhyām: Karana (Agent/Instrument in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक) + gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), द्विवचन; ‘विष्णोः गणौ’ (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक निपात (conjunction)

• kathitām: told/narrated
• kathitām: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kathita (कथ् धातु, क्त-कृदन्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; ‘कथाम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषण

• śivaśarmaṇe: to Śivaśarman
• śivaśarmaṇe: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śivaśarman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; नाम

Speaker

Agastya

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Lopāmudrā

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Agastya addresses Lopāmudrā in a hermitage setting, inviting her to hear the story told by two attendants of Viṣṇu to Śivaśarman; calm domestic-ascetic atmosphere.

Characters & Entities

• Agastya
• Lopāmudrā
• Viṣṇu
• Viṣṇugaṇa
• Śivaśarman

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is upheld through attentive hearing of sacred narratives, shared within righteous companionship and lineage of teachers.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kāśīkhaṇḍa framework continues; the immediate verse is a narrative preface rather than a direct tīrtha description.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śravaṇa (listening) to purāṇic kathā is implicitly prescribed as a devotional practice.