Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

स्कंद उवाच । शृण्वगस्ते यदा मेना हिमाचलपतिव्रता । गिरींद्रजां सुतामाह पुत्रि तेस्य महेशितुः

Transliteration

skaṃda uvāca | śṛṇvagaste yadā menā himācalapativratā | girīṃdrajāṃ sutāmāha putri tesya maheśituḥ

Translation

斯坎达说道：“听着，阿伽斯提耶。曾有一次，忠贞侍奉夫主喜马恰罗的梅那，对她的女儿吉林德拉迦说道：‘女儿啊，关于那位大自在天摩诃伊湿伐罗……’”

Word by Word

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

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• शृणु: listen
• शृणु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन

• अगस्ते: O Agastya
• अगस्ते: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अगस्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• यदा: when
• यदा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक सम्बन्धबोधक (temporal conjunction)

• मेना: Menā
• मेना: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मेना (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• हिमाचलपतिव्रता: devoted to (her husband) Himācala
• हिमाचलपतिव्रता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हिमाचल (प्रातिपदिक) + पति (प्रातिपदिक) + व्रता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (हिमाचलस्य पतिव्रता)

• गिरीन्द्रजाम्: the daughter of the lord of mountains
• गिरीन्द्रजाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गिरीन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक) + जा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गिरीन्द्रस्य जा = पुत्री)

• सुताम्: daughter
• सुताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• आह: said
• आह: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अह्/ब्रू (धातु; परस्मैपद)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• पुत्रि: O daughter
• पुत्रि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• ते: your
• ते: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• अस्य: of this (one)
• अस्य: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• महेशितुः: of the great lord (Maheśa)
• महेशितुः: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेशितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Skanda begins the tale: Menā, devoted to Himācala, addresses her daughter Girīndrajā (Pārvatī) with maternal concern about her divine husband’s background and abode.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Agastya
• Menā
• Himācala
• Pārvatī (Girīndrajā)
• Maheśa (implied by maheśituḥ)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Puranic dharma is transmitted through attentive listening and lineage narratives that frame devotion to Śiva.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not explicit in this verse; it begins a narrative within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī-centered sacred discourse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is narrative setup (kathā-prastāva) for the ensuing teaching.