Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

इति काशीसमृद्धिं स विलोक्याभूद्विलज्जितः । उवाच च मनस्येव भूधरेंद्र इदं वचः

Transliteration

iti kāśīsamṛddhiṃ sa vilokyābhūdvilajjitaḥ | uvāca ca manasyeva bhūdhareṃdra idaṃ vacaḥ

Translation

ఇలా కాశీ సమృద్ధిని చూచి అతడు లజ్జితుడయ్యెను; పర్వతాధిపతి తన మనస్సులోనే అన్నట్లుగా ఈ వచనములు పలికెను।

Word by Word

• इति: thus
• इति: Discourse marker (अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/समाप्तिसूचक अव्यय (quotative/thus)

• काशीसमृद्धिम्: the prosperity of Kāśī
• काशीसमृद्धिम्: Karman/Object (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक) + समृद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (काश्याः समृद्धिः)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta/Subject (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• विलोक्य: having seen
• विलोक्य: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √लोक् (धातु) + वि (उपसर्ग) ; ल्यप् (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/क्त्वान्त), ‘having seen’

• अभूत्: became
• अभूत्: Kriya (main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• विलज्जितः: ashamed; embarrassed
• विलज्जितः: Predicate adjective (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विलज्जित (कृदन्त; √लज्ज्, वि + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण (सः)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

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

• मनसि: in (his) mind
• मनसि: Adhikarana/Locative (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• इव: as if
• इव: Comparative particle (उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमावाचक अव्यय (comparative ‘as if’)

• भूधरेंद्रः: the lord of mountains (Himālaya)
• भूधरेंद्रः: Karta/Subject (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूधर (प्रातिपदिक) + इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (भूधराणाम् इन्द्रः)

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Visheshana (qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; सर्वनाम, विशेषणम् (वचः)

• वचः: speech; words
• वचः: Karman/Object (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (narration); inner speech attributed to Bhūdhareśvara/Bhūdhara-indra

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A majestic mountain-king figure (Himālaya-like personification) gazes upon Kāśī’s splendor and lowers his head in modesty; the city glows behind him while his ‘speech’ is shown as a subtle inner thought-cloud or contemplative posture.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Bhūdhara-indra (lord/king of mountains)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True sacred greatness evokes humility; even the mighty feel small before Kāśī’s divine eminence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī, whose splendor is portrayed as unrivaled.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the focus is devotional awe and inner transformation.