Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

एवं विप्र कृतौ मोहात्परस्परजयैषिणौ । पप्रच्छतुः प्रमाणज्ञानागमांश्चतुरोपि तौ

Transliteration

evaṃ vipra kṛtau mohātparasparajayaiṣiṇau | papracchatuḥ pramāṇajñānāgamāṃścaturopi tau

Translation

ดังนั้น โอ พราหมณ์ ทั้งสองนั้นหลงมัวเมาและใฝ่ชัยเหนือกัน จึงไต่ถามถึงอำนาจรับรองสี่ประการ คือ เครื่องมือแห่งความรู้ที่ถูกต้อง (ปรมาณะ), ญาณอันแท้จริง และคัมภีร์อาคมตามจารีตศักดิ์สิทธิ์

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of manner: “thus”)

• विप्र: O brāhmaṇa
• विप्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• कृतौ: the two sacrifices (personified)
• कृतौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृतु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन

• मोहात्: from delusion
• मोहात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• परस्पर: mutually, each other
• परस्पर: Sambandha (Relational/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: परस्पर (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; परस्पर- (mutual) उपपद/पूर्वपद-रूपेण

• जय: victory
• जय: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (समासान्तर्गत)

• एषिणौ: desirous (of)
• एषिणौ: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एषिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन; विशेषण (desiderous)

• पप्रच्छतुः: they asked
• पप्रच्छतुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रच्छ् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), द्विवचन; परस्मैपद

• प्रमाण: means of knowledge, authority
• प्रमाण: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रमाण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन (समासान्तर्गत)

• ज्ञान: knowledge
• ज्ञान: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन (समासान्तर्गत)

• आगमान्: scriptural traditions, teachings
• आगमान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आगम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• चतुरः: four
• चतुरः: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपि = ‘also/even’ (particle)

• तौ: those two
• तौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन; सर्वनाम

Speaker

Narrator (addressing a brāhmaṇa listener within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (typical frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two personified ritual powers (Vidhi and Kratu) in disputation, turning to four personified authorities/Śrutis for adjudication; a scholastic assembly atmosphere within a Kāśī setting.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual disputes should be settled through recognized authorities—valid knowledge, authentic understanding, and scriptural tradition—rather than ego-driven rivalry.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None directly; the verse is part of Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s didactic narrative set in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it concerns epistemic authority (pramāṇa/āgama), not ritual action.