Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 55

Devanagari script

स्कंद उवाच । शृणुष्व मैत्रावरुणे यथा भगवताऽकथि । तत्क्षेत्रस्याविमुक्तस्य मम मातुः पुरः पुरा

Transliteration

skaṃda uvāca | śṛṇuṣva maitrāvaruṇe yathā bhagavatā'kathi | tatkṣetrasyāvimuktasya mama mātuḥ puraḥ purā

Translation

Skanda dạy: “Hãy lắng nghe, hỡi Maitrāvaruṇa (Agastya), như thuở xưa Đức Chúa tể đã nói trước mặt mẹ ta về thánh địa Avimukta ấy, ta sẽ thuật lại đúng như vậy.”

Word by Word

• स्कन्दः: Skanda
• स्कन्दः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्कन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1/कर्ता), एकवचन; nominative singular

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Speech act)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; 3rd person singular perfect

• शृणुष्व: listen
• शृणुष्व: Kriyā (Command)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ/Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; 2nd person singular imperative (ātmanepada): 'listen'

• मैत्रावरुणे: O Maitrāvaruṇa
• मैत्रावरुणे: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मैत्रावरुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; vocative singular (epithet of Agastya)

• यथा: as
• यथा: Sambandha (Correlative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; as/how

• भगवता: by the Blessed Lord
• भगवता: Kartr̥/Hetu (Agent/Instrumental)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3/करण), एकवचन; instrumental singular

• अकथि: was told/was narrated
• अकथि: Kriyā (Main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कथ् (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (अनद्यतनभूत/Aorist), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; 3rd person singular aorist (passive/ātmanepada usage possible by context)

• तत्-क्षेत्रस्य: of that holy region
• तत्-क्षेत्रस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम) + क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; genitive singular: 'of that region'

• अविमुक्तस्य: of Avimukta (never-abandoned)
• अविमुक्तस्य: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अविमुक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; genitive singular agreeing with क्षेत्रस्य

• मम: of me/my
• मम: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; genitive singular

• मातुः: of (my) mother
• मातुः: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; genitive singular

• पुरः: in the presence of/before
• पुरः: Deśa-adhikaraṇa (Spatial adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb/postposition); in front of/before

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Temporal adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb); formerly/once

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and other sages (frame implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Skanda addresses Agastya by patronymic Maitrāvaruṇa and begins: ‘Listen as the Lord spoke long ago before my mother, about Avimukta.’ The moment is the formal opening of the Kāśī revelation.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Agastya (Maitrāvaruṇa)
• Bhagavān (Śiva)
• Pārvatī (Skanda’s mother)
• Avimukta-kṣetra
• Kāśī (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s greatness is anchored in Śiva’s own proclamation, preserved through divine-family transmission (Śiva → Pārvatī → Skanda).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Avimukta-kṣetra (Kāśī/Vārāṇasī), the place never abandoned by Śiva.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it introduces the authoritative source of the forthcoming māhātmya.