Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

गलन्मधू ककुसुमैर्धरारूपधरंहरम् । स्वहस्तमुक्तमुक्ताभिरर्चयंतमिवानिशम्

Transliteration

galanmadhū kakusumairdharārūpadharaṃharam | svahastamuktamuktābhirarcayaṃtamivāniśam

Translation

وبأزهار الكَكُو التي تقطر عسلاً، بدا كأن الأرض—وقد تجسّدت في صورةٍ مرئية—تعبد هارا بلا انقطاع، وتقدّم له لآلئ أطلقتها من يدها هي.

Word by Word

• galat: dripping, flowing down
• galat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gal (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ/शानच्-प्रायः), प्रथमा/द्वितीया? नपुंसकलिङ्गे एकवचनं (विशेषणरूपेण) — present participle used adjectivally

• madhūni: honeys (drops of honey)
• madhūni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: madhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st) बहुवचन — nominative plural

• kakusumaiḥ: with kakusuma-flowers
• kakusumaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kakusuma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd) बहुवचन — instrumental plural

• dharā-rūpa-dharam: bearing the form of the Earth
• dharā-rūpa-dharam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dharā (प्रातिपदिक) + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक) + dhara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमासः (षष्ठी/कर्मधारय-प्रायः: ‘धरायाः रूपं धारयति’), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd) एकवचन — accusative singular (qualifying haram)

• haram: Hara (Śiva)
• haram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd) एकवचन — accusative singular

• sva-hasta-mukta-muktābhiḥ: with pearls released from (one’s) own hand
• sva-hasta-mukta-muktābhiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + hasta (प्रातिपदिक) + mukta (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त) + muktā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमासः (‘स्वहस्तेन मुक्ताः मuktāḥ’), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd) बहुवचन — instrumental plural

• arcayantam: worshipping
• arcayantam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: arc (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ/शानच्), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd) एकवचन — accusative singular participle ‘worshipping’ (qualifying haram)

• iva: as if, like
• iva: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमा-अव्यय (particle of comparison)

• aniśam: constantly, unceasingly
• aniśam: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: aniśa (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta-Kāśī (Viśveśvara-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the ṛṣis of Naimiṣāraṇya (typical frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The Earth as a goddess-form stands in Kāśī, offering honey-dripping kaku flowers and pearl-like offerings to Hara in an unbroken act of worship; the air is fragrant, the shrine luminous.

Characters & Entities

• Hara (Śiva)
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Dharā (Earth)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In Kāśī, devotion is portrayed as perpetual—creation itself (Earth and blossoms) becomes an offering to Śiva.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī, depicted as a place where worship of Hara (Śiva) is continuous and natural.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied pūjā through flowers and precious offerings; no explicit rule is stated.