Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 68

Devanagari script

स्कंद उवाच । सामस्त्येन यदर्थं न निर्गतं विष्णुना मुने । ब्रुवे तत्कारणमिति क्षणमात्रं निशामय

Transliteration

skaṃda uvāca | sāmastyena yadarthaṃ na nirgataṃ viṣṇunā mune | bruve tatkāraṇamiti kṣaṇamātraṃ niśāmaya

Translation

สกันทะกล่าวว่า “ดูก่อนมุนี จงฟังเพียงชั่วขณะ เราจักกล่าวเหตุว่าเหตุใดพระวิษณุจึงมิได้เสด็จจากถิ่นนี้ไปโดยสิ้นเชิง”

Word by Word

• स्कन्दः: Skanda
• स्कन्दः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्कन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सामस्त्येन: in summary, collectively
• सामस्त्येन: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सामस्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; तृतीया-प्रयोगार्थे (adverbial: ‘in summary/collectively’)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nominative/Accusative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative)

• अर्थम्: purpose, reason
• अर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• निर्गतम्: gone out, departed
• निर्गतम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रियापद)
• Type: Verb
• Root: निर्गत (कृदन्त; √गम् धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; उपसर्ग: निर्-

• विष्णुना: by Vishnu
• विष्णुना: Karana (Instrument/Agent-in-passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

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

• ब्रुवे: I tell, I explain
• ब्रुवे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तम-पुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (demonstrative)

• कारणम्: cause, reason
• कारणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• इति: thus
• इति: Vacana-parisamapti (Quotation marker/इति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/समाप्ति-सूचक अव्यय (quotative particle)

• क्षणमात्रम्: for just a moment
• क्षणमात्रम्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial measure/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षण + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (measure: ‘only a moment’)

• निशामय: listen, pay attention
• निशामय: Kriya (Command/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि + शम् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; उपसर्ग: नि-

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta-Kāśī (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Muni (unnamed sage)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Skanda, as a divine teacher, turns to a listening sage and begins to reveal the hidden reason for Viṣṇu’s not fully departing from Kāśī.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Viṣṇu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even great deities remain linked to Kāśī due to its unique sanctity; the text prepares to reveal the sacred rationale.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) as the broader sacred field in which Viṣṇu’s presence is discussed.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed in this verse; it introduces an explanatory teaching (kathā) on Kāśī’s greatness.