Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

स्कंद उवाच । सत्यमेतत्त्वया पृच्छि कथयामि मुने शृणु । तस्य व्यासस्य चरितं भविष्यं त्वयि पृच्छति

Transliteration

skaṃda uvāca | satyametattvayā pṛcchi kathayāmi mune śṛṇu | tasya vyāsasya caritaṃ bhaviṣyaṃ tvayi pṛcchati

Translation

สกันทะกล่าวว่า: สิ่งที่ท่านถามนั้นจริงและสมควรยิ่ง ฟังเถิด โอ้มุนี—เราจักเล่าให้; เรื่องราวของวยาสะจักปรากฏตามคำถามของท่าน

Word by Word

• स्कन्दः: Skanda
• स्कन्दः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्कन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु) → उवाच
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सत्यम्: true
• सत्यम्: Karma (Predicative complement/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; वाक्ये विधेय-रूपेण (it is true)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (सर्वनाम), तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पृच्छि: ask
• पृच्छि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रच्छ् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• कथयामि: I tell
• कथयामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथय् (धातु, णिजन्त)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तम-पुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• मुने: O sage
• मुने: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• शृणु: listen
• शृणु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• व्यासस्य: of Vyāsa
• व्यासस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• चरितम्: deed(s), story, conduct
• चरितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चरित (चर्-धातु, क्त-कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘चरित’ = आचरितं/वृत्तान्तः

• भविष्यम्: future (to come)
• भविष्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भविष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (चरितम्) — ‘future/that which will be’

• त्वयि: in you / from you (as locus)
• त्वयि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (सर्वनाम), सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पृच्छति: asks
• पृच्छति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रच्छ् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Skanda, composed and radiant, raises a hand in teaching gesture (vyākhyāna-mudrā), assuring Agastya and beginning the tale of Vyāsa; the scene conveys calm authority and impending revelation.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Agastya (implied)
• Vyāsa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred knowledge is transmitted through respectful questioning and authoritative narration within the guru–śiṣya dialogue.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named in this verse; it introduces the upcoming Kāśī-centered narrative about Vyāsa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a narrative transition indicating an explanation will follow.