Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 33

Devanagari script

भ्रमद्भ्रमरमालाभिर्मालतीभिरलंकृतम् । अलिच्छलागतंकृष्णं गोपीरंतुमनेकशः

Transliteration

bhramadbhramaramālābhirmālatībhiralaṃkṛtam | alicchalāgataṃkṛṣṇaṃ gopīraṃtumanekaśaḥ

Translation

ঘূর্ণায়মান ভ্রমরদলের গুঞ্জনে ভরা মালতী-মালায় তা অলংকৃত ছিল। যেন ভ্রমরের ছলেই কৃষ্ণকে বারবার সেখানে টেনে এনে গোপীদের আনন্দ-রসের ক্রীড়া ঘটাত।

Word by Word

• bhramad-bhramara-mālābhiḥ: with garlands of buzzing bees
• bhramad-bhramara-mālābhiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhramad (√bhram धातु, शतृ/वर्तमान कृदन्त) + bhramara (प्रातिपदिक) + mālā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (mālābhiḥ) with उपपद-विशेषण ‘bhramad-bhramara’ (feminine, instrumental plural; 'with garlands of roaming bees')

• mālatībhiḥ: with mālatī flowers
• mālatībhiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mālatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन (feminine, instrumental, plural)

• alaṃkṛtam: adorned
• alaṃkṛtam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: alaṃ√kṛ (धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) (neuter, nom/acc sg; 'adorned')

• ali-cchala-āgatam: having come under the pretext of bees
• ali-cchala-āgatam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ali (प्रातिपदिक) + chala (प्रातिपदिक) + ā√gam (धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त ‘āgata’; तत्पुरुष (neuter, nom/acc sg; 'come on the pretext of bees' / 'under guise of bees')

• kṛṣṇam: Kṛṣṇa
• kṛṣṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (masculine, accusative, singular)

• gopī-rantum: to sport with the gopīs
• gopī-rantum: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gopī (प्रातिपदिक) + √ram (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive) ‘rantum’; ‘gopī’ सह (to sport with gopīs)

• anekaśaḥ: in many ways / repeatedly
• anekaśaḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: anekaśas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (indeclinable adverb of manner/frequency)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (līlā-smarana-kshetra by poetic transposition)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mālatī creepers heavy with white blossoms; thick garlands; swarms of bees spiraling like dark ribbons; the scene subtly suggests Kṛṣṇa’s presence—perhaps a faint blue figure at the grove’s edge—invited again and again for gopīs’ delight.

Characters & Entities

• Kṛṣṇa
• Gopīs

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A sacred place is so enchanting that it evokes divine līlā imagery, turning natural beauty into a vehicle for devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī’s sacred groves, poetically likened to settings fit for divine sport.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a devotional and aesthetic glorification.