Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

व्यास उवाच । निशामय महाप्राज्ञ लोमहर्षण वच्मि ते । यथा प्रथमतो यात्रा कर्तव्या यात्रिकैर्मुदा

Transliteration

vyāsa uvāca | niśāmaya mahāprājña lomaharṣaṇa vacmi te | yathā prathamato yātrā kartavyā yātrikairmudā

Translation

毗耶娑说道：请听，噢大智的罗摩诃尔沙那；我将告诉你，自最初起，朝圣者应当如何欢喜地行此圣行（yātrā）。

Word by Word

• व्यासः: Vyāsa
• व्यासः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• निशामय: listen/attend
• निशामय: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि + शम्/शम (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• महाप्राज्ञ: O greatly wise one
• महाप्राज्ञ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + प्राज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महान् प्राज्ञः)

• लोमहर्षण: O Lomaharṣaṇa
• लोमहर्षण: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोमहर्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (नाम)

• वच्मि: I tell/speak
• वच्मि: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (4th/Dative), एकवचन (तुभ्यम्-आदेशरूप)

• यथा: how/as
• यथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/उपमान/अनुक्रमार्थ (as/how)

• प्रथमतः: firstly
• प्रथमतः: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रथम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb) — तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त; ‘at first/firstly’

• यात्रा: the pilgrimage
• यात्रा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यात्रा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• कर्तव्या: should be done
• कर्तव्या: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (तव्यत्-प्रत्यय, gerundive/obligatory); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेयविशेषणम् (to be done)

• यात्रिकैः: by pilgrims
• यात्रिकैः: Kartr (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यात्रिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• मुदा: with joy
• मुदा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुद्/मुदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणार्थे (with joy)

Speaker

Vyāsa

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-yātrā (parikramā)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vyāsa addressing Lomaharṣaṇa, hand raised in teaching gesture; in the background, pilgrims assembling with staffs and water pots at dawn, ready to begin the circuit with joy.

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta)
• Kāśī
• Yātrā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Right practice begins with attentive listening and correct method; pilgrimage is to be undertaken with gladness and reverence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single site yet; this is the formal preface to the Kāśī yātrā sequence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Begin the yātrā in the proper order (‘prathamataḥ’) as taught by tradition.