Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

अगस्तिरुवाच । आकर्णय वरारोहे सत्यं पृष्टं त्वयामले । निर्णीतमसकृच्चैतन्मुनिभिस्तत्त्वचिंतकैः

Transliteration

agastiruvāca | ākarṇaya varārohe satyaṃ pṛṣṭaṃ tvayāmale | nirṇītamasakṛccaitanmunibhistattvaciṃtakaiḥ

Translation

อคัสตยะกล่าวว่า: “จงสดับเถิด โอ้ผู้มีสะโพกงาม ผู้บริสุทธิ์ไร้มลทิน เจ้าได้ถามสิ่งที่แท้จริง เรื่องนี้เหล่าฤๅษีผู้พิจารณาสัจธรรมได้วินิจฉัยไว้ครั้งแล้วครั้งเล่า”

Word by Word

• अगस्तिः: Agastya
• अगस्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अगस्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• आकर्णय: listen/hear
• आकर्णय: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-कर्त्/कर्णय् (धातु; causative of कर्ण/श्रु-अर्थ)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; णिच् (causative)

• वरारोहे: O fair-hipped one
• वरारोहे: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक) + आरोह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुव्रीहि-समास (वरम् आरोहः यस्याः सा), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सत्यम्: truth
• सत्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पृष्टम्: asked/inquired
• पृष्टम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र-छ्/पृच्छ् (धातु) + क्त (कृत्)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (सत्यं विशेषयति)

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karana (Agent in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुषवाचक सर्वनाम, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अमले: O pure one
• अमले: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अमला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणरूपेण संबोधन

• निर्णीतम्: determined/ascertained
• निर्णीतम्: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्-नी (धातु) + क्त (कृत्)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (इदम्/एतत् इत्यस्य विशेषण)

• असकृत्: many times/repeatedly
• असकृत्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: असकृत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: frequency)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• मुनिभिः: by sages
• मुनिभिः: Karana (Agent in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• तत्त्वचिंतकैः: by truth-contemplating (sages)
• तत्त्वचिंतकैः: Karana (Agent in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तत्त्व (प्रातिपदिक) + चिंतक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (तत्त्वं चिन्तयन्ति इति), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

Speaker

Agastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (implied)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Lopāmudrā

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Agastya leans slightly forward, beginning a formal explanation; his face is serene yet authoritative, as if invoking a lineage of sages and settled doctrine.

Characters & Entities

• Agastya
• Lopāmudrā
• Munis (tattva-ciṃtakāḥ)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage claims are to be understood through tattva (right discernment) as taught by realized sages, not through superficial contradiction.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sets up a clarification about Śrīśaila and Kāśī rather than glorifying one site directly.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it introduces authoritative teaching (śravaṇa/listening) as the next step.