Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 55

Devanagari script

स्कंद उवाच । शृणुष्व मैत्रावरुणे यथा भगवताऽकथि । तत्क्षेत्रस्याविमुक्तस्य मम मातुः पुरः पुरा

Transliteration

skaṃda uvāca | śṛṇuṣva maitrāvaruṇe yathā bhagavatā'kathi | tatkṣetrasyāvimuktasya mama mātuḥ puraḥ purā

Translation

สกันทะตรัสว่า “จงฟังเถิด โอ้ไมตราวรุณะ (อคัสตยะ) ดังที่พระผู้เป็นเจ้าได้ตรัสไว้แต่กาลก่อน ณ เบื้องหน้าพระมารดาของเรา เกี่ยวกับกษेत्रอวิมุกตะนั้น เราจักเล่าตามนั้น”

Word by Word

• स्कन्दः: Skanda
• स्कन्दः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्कन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1/कर्ता), एकवचन; nominative singular

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Speech act)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; 3rd person singular perfect

• शृणुष्व: listen
• शृणुष्व: Kriyā (Command)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ/Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; 2nd person singular imperative (ātmanepada): 'listen'

• मैत्रावरुणे: O Maitrāvaruṇa
• मैत्रावरुणे: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मैत्रावरुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; vocative singular (epithet of Agastya)

• यथा: as
• यथा: Sambandha (Correlative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; as/how

• भगवता: by the Blessed Lord
• भगवता: Kartr̥/Hetu (Agent/Instrumental)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3/करण), एकवचन; instrumental singular

• अकथि: was told/was narrated
• अकथि: Kriyā (Main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कथ् (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (अनद्यतनभूत/Aorist), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; 3rd person singular aorist (passive/ātmanepada usage possible by context)

• तत्-क्षेत्रस्य: of that holy region
• तत्-क्षेत्रस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम) + क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; genitive singular: 'of that region'

• अविमुक्तस्य: of Avimukta (never-abandoned)
• अविमुक्तस्य: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अविमुक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; genitive singular agreeing with क्षेत्रस्य

• मम: of me/my
• मम: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; genitive singular

• मातुः: of (my) mother
• मातुः: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; genitive singular

• पुरः: in the presence of/before
• पुरः: Deśa-adhikaraṇa (Spatial adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb/postposition); in front of/before

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Temporal adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb); formerly/once

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and other sages (frame implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Skanda addresses Agastya by patronymic Maitrāvaruṇa and begins: ‘Listen as the Lord spoke long ago before my mother, about Avimukta.’ The moment is the formal opening of the Kāśī revelation.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Agastya (Maitrāvaruṇa)
• Bhagavān (Śiva)
• Pārvatī (Skanda’s mother)
• Avimukta-kṣetra
• Kāśī (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s greatness is anchored in Śiva’s own proclamation, preserved through divine-family transmission (Śiva → Pārvatī → Skanda).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Avimukta-kṣetra (Kāśī/Vārāṇasī), the place never abandoned by Śiva.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it introduces the authoritative source of the forthcoming māhātmya.