Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

शिवशर्मोवाच । अहो गणौ विचित्रेयं श्रुता चांद्रमसी कथा । उडुलोककथां ख्यातं विष्वगाख्यानकोविदौ

Transliteration

śivaśarmovāca | aho gaṇau vicitreyaṃ śrutā cāṃdramasī kathā | uḍulokakathāṃ khyātaṃ viṣvagākhyānakovidau

Translation

శివశర్ముడు పలికెను—అహో, హే ఇద్దరు గణులారా! నేను ఈ చాంద్రమసీ కథను అద్భుతంగా విన్నాను. ఉడులోక ప్రసిద్ధ కథను చెప్పుటలో మీరు విశ్వవిఖ్యాత ఆఖ్యానకోవిదులు.

Word by Word

• śivaśarmā: Śivaśarman
• śivaśarmā: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śivaśarman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; नाम (प्रातिपदिकान्त-रूप)

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

• aho: ah!
• aho: Sambandha (Exclamation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: aho (अव्यय)
• Form: विस्मयादिबोधक निपात (interjection)

• gaṇau: O two gaṇas
• gaṇau: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), द्विवचन

• vicitrā: wonderful/strange
• vicitrā: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vicitra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘कथा’ इत्यस्य विशेषण

• iyam: this
• iyam: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘कथा’ इत्यस्य विशेषण

• śrutā: heard
• śrutā: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śruta (श्रु धातु, क्त-कृदन्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; ‘कथा’ इत्यस्य विशेषण

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

• āṃdramasī: lunar (pertaining to the Moon)
• āṃdramasī: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: āṃdramasī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘कथा’ इत्यस्य विशेषण

• kathā: the story
• kathā: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kathā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• uḍu-loka-kathām: the story of the star-world
• uḍu-loka-kathām: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: uḍu (प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक) + kathā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘उडुलोकस्य कथा’ (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• khyātam: is renowned
• khyātam: Kriya (Predicative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: khyāta (ख्यै धातु, क्त-कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; भावे/कर्मणि—‘प्रसिद्धम्’

• viśvag-ākhyāna-kovidau: you two, skilled in narrations everywhere
• viśvag-ākhyāna-kovidau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viśvag (अव्यय/उपपद) + ākhyāna (प्रातिपदिक) + kovida (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन; ‘आख्याने कोविदौ’ (सप्तमी/तत्पुरुष-भाव) + ‘viśvag’ उपपदेन ‘सर्वत्र’ इत्यर्थे

Speaker

Śivaśarman

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Two Viṣṇu-gaṇas (attendants)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śivaśarman, moved with wonder, praises the two attendants for their marvelous lunar tale and their skill in narrating the story of the star-world; the attendants stand poised to continue.

Characters & Entities

• Śivaśarman
• Gaṇa (attendants)
• Cāndramasī kathā
• Uḍuloka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Reverence for sacred lore and its narrators is emphasized; wonder (adbhuta) becomes a doorway to deeper faith and inquiry.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is narrative dialogue; the broader glorification remains within Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s sacred setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it praises and invites further kathā (sacred narration).