Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 74

Devanagari script

इति तस्या वचः श्रुत्वा शुचिष्मत्याः शुचिव्रतः । क्षणं समाधिमाधाय हृ द्येतत्समचिंतयत्

Transliteration

iti tasyā vacaḥ śrutvā śuciṣmatyāḥ śucivrataḥ | kṣaṇaṃ samādhimādhāya hṛ dyetatsamaciṃtayat

Translation

یوں اُس پاکیزہ خاتون کی بات سن کر، پاکیزہ نذر والا مرد ایک لمحہ مراقبہ میں گیا اور یہ بات اپنے دل میں غور سے سوچنے لگا۔

Word by Word

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इति-शब्दः (quotative particle)

• tasyāḥ: of her
• tasyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• vacaḥ: speech, words
• vacaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vacas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• śrutvā: having heard
• śrutvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Prior action/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (श्रु धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया; अव्ययभाव

• śuciṣmatyāḥ: of Śuciṣmatī
• śuciṣmatyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śuciṣmatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• śucivrataḥ: the pure-vowed one
• śucivrataḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śuci + vrata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (शुचि-व्रतः = शुचि व्रतं यस्य)

• kṣaṇam: for a moment
• kṣaṇam: Adhikaraṇa (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कालाधिकरणार्थे (for a moment)

• samādhim: meditative absorption
• samādhim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: samādhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• ādhāya: having assumed/entered (it)
• ādhāya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Prior action/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-dhā (धा धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• hṛdi: in (his) heart
• hṛdi: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hṛd (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• samaciṃtayat: he reflected upon
• samaciṃtayat: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-√cint (चिन्त् धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/past), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (third-person within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya ṛṣis (typical frame; specific chapter context not supplied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A restrained domestic scene: the pure-vowed sage, having heard a chaste woman’s words, closes his eyes briefly in contemplation, hand near heart, the atmosphere quiet and inward.

Characters & Entities

• Viśvānara
• wife (Śuciṣmatī—epithet as 'pure one')
• samādhi

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even when empowered, a dharmic person reflects inwardly before acting; samādhi is shown as a means to align decisions with higher truth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kāśī Khaṇḍa backdrop points toward Kāśī’s Śaiva sanctity, though this verse focuses on inner contemplation.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Samādhi (meditative absorption) is referenced as a spiritual practice, not as a formal rite.