Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

इति श्रुत्वा शिखिरथः कुंभयोनेरुदीरितम् । सूत संकथयामास दक्षेश्वर समुद्भवम्

Transliteration

iti śrutvā śikhirathaḥ kuṃbhayonerudīritam | sūta saṃkathayāmāsa dakṣeśvara samudbhavam

Translation

یوں کُمبھ یونی (اگستیہ) کے ارشاد کو سن کر، اے سوت، شِکھِرَتھ نے پھر دَکشیشور کے ظہور کا حال تفصیل سے بیان کیا۔

Word by Word

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उक्त्यर्थक-अव्यय (quotative particle: thus)

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Kriya (Gerundial action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (having heard)

• शिखिरथः: Śikhiratha
• शिखिरथः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिखिरथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• कुम्भयोनेः: of Kumbhayoni (Agastya)
• कुम्भयोनेः: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुम्भ + योनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Genitive, Singular)

• उदीरितम्: what was spoken
• उदीरितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद् + ईर् (धातु) (कृदन्त: उदीरित)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (Past participle, Neuter, Accusative, Singular; ‘uttered/said’)

• सूत: O Sūta
• सूत: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (सम्बोधन), एकवचन (Masculine, Vocative, Singular)

• संकथयामास: narrated, recounted
• संकथयामास: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + कथ् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (Perfect, Parasmaipada, 3rd person, Singular)

• दक्षेश्वर: Dakṣeśvara (name of the liṅga)
• दक्षेश्वर: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्ष + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

• समुद्भवम्: the origin (account)
• समुद्भवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सम् + उद् + भू (धातु) (कृदन्त: समुद्भव)
• Form: कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘समुद्भवम्’ = उत्पत्तिवृत्तान्तम् (Masculine, Accusative, Singular; ‘origin/manifestation’)

Speaker

Narratorial frame (Sūta as the reciter is directly addressed; content reports Śikhiratha’s narration after Agastya’s words)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dakṣeśvara (origin narrative)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sūta

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A layered storytelling moment: after hearing Agastya’s words, Śikhiratha turns to Sūta and begins recounting the detailed origin of Dakṣeśvara—like a relay of sacred memory.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Śikhiratha
• Kumbhayoni (Agastya)
• Dakṣeśvara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography is preserved through lineage narration—teachers and reciters transmit the māhātmya so pilgrims may understand a site’s hidden power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dakṣeśvara (a revered Śiva-Liṅga of Kāśī) whose origin story is about to be told.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse establishes the authoritative transmission of the Dakṣeśvara-māhātmya.