Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 87

Devanagari script

इत्याकर्ण्य सती साध्वी जनेतुरुदितं तदा । अत्यंतदूनहृदया वक्तुं समुपचक्रमे

Transliteration

ityākarṇya satī sādhvī janeturuditaṃ tadā | atyaṃtadūnahṛdayā vaktuṃ samupacakrame

Translation

听闻此言，贤贞的萨蒂当时——因父亲之语而心痛至极——便开始开口。

Word by Word

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker/उद्धरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उद्धरण/quotative)

• ākarṇya: having heard
• ākarṇya: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ā-√karṇ (कर्ण्)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) — ‘आकर्ण्य’ (श्रुत्वा/hearing)

• satī: Satī
• satī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: satī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषनाम/स्त्री-शब्द

• sādhvī: virtuous lady
• sādhvī: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sādhvī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषण

• janetuḥ: of the father/progenitor
• janetuḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: janetṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• uditam: the utterance/statement
• uditam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: udita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; ‘उद्+√i (इ)’ क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; ‘उक्तं/उदितं’

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक/temporal adverb)

• atyaṃta-dūna-hṛdayā: with a deeply distressed heart
• atyaṃta-dūna-hṛdayā: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: atyaṃta (अव्यय) + dūna (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) + hṛdaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (‘अत्यन्तं दूनं हृदयं यस्याः’)

• vaktum: to speak
• vaktum: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vac (वच्)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive) — ‘वक्तुम्’

• samupacakrame: began/undertook
• samupacakrame: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-upa-√kram (क्रम्)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Narrator (contextual)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Kāśīkhaṇḍa interlocutor (not explicit here)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Satī, virtuous and composed, hears her father’s harsh words; her face shows deep inner pain, then resolve as she begins to speak.

Characters & Entities

• Satī
• Her father (Dakṣa implied)
• Śiva (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When dharma is misunderstood, the virtuous respond with composed speech arising from compassion, not pride.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kāśīkhaṇḍa situates teachings in the sanctity of Kāśī, though this verse itself is narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it narrates the transition to Satī’s reply.