Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 98

Devanagari script

सुनीलगगनं यद्वद्भूषितं तु कलावता । पीतेन वाससा युक्तं स ददर्श हरिं तदा

Transliteration

sunīlagaganaṃ yadvadbhūṣitaṃ tu kalāvatā | pītena vāsasā yuktaṃ sa dadarśa hariṃ tadā

Translation

Wie der tiefblaue Himmel vom Mond geschmückt wird, so erblickte er damals Hari—in gelbem Gewand—strahlend und die Welt durch Seine Gegenwart verschönernd.

Word by Word

• su-nīla-gaganam: the deep-blue sky
• su-nīla-gaganam: Upamāna (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + nīla (प्रातिपदिक) + gagana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयसमास; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-एकवचन — Neuter singular (here as object of comparison): “very-blue sky”

• yadvat: just as
• yadvat: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadvat (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उपमावाचक) — Indeclinable: “just as”

• bhūṣitam: adorned
• bhūṣitam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √bhūṣ (धातु) → bhūṣita (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-एकवचन — Past passive participle: “adorned”

• tu: indeed
• tu: Sambandha-bodhaka (Connector/सम्बन्धबोधक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/समुच्चय-व्यतिरेक) — Particle: “but/indeed”

• kalāvatā: with the crescent-moon
• kalāvatā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kalāvat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-एकवचन — Instrumental singular: “by the crescent-moon/with the digit (of the moon)”

• pītena: with yellow
• pītena: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pīta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंस/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-एकवचन — Instrumental singular: “with yellow” (agreeing with vāsasā)

• vāsasā: with a garment
• vāsasā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāsa / vāsas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-एकवचन — Instrumental singular: “with a garment”

• yuktam: endowed (with)
• yuktam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √yuj (धातु) → yukta (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-एकवचन — Past passive participle: “joined/possessed”

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन — Nominative singular masculine

• dadarśa: saw
• dadarśa: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परिपूर्णभूत/Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — Perfect, active, 3rd person singular: “saw”

• harim: Hari (Viṣṇu)
• harim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hari (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-एकवचन — Accusative singular masculine

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kāla-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक) — Adverb of time

Speaker

Skanda (deduced Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative voice, typically to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Naimiṣāraṇya sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A deep-blue sky with a full moon; in parallel, Hari appears in yellow garments, radiating gentle brilliance that ‘adorns’ the scene; the devotee watches in quiet awe.

Characters & Entities

• Hari
• Dhruva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

God’s beauty is not merely aesthetic; it is a revelation granted to devotion, uplifting the devotee’s heart and mind.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the overarching sacred geography of this narrative in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the focus is on contemplative vision and devotional experience.