Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

स्मरेदरुंधतीमुख्याः पतिव्रतवतीर्वधूः । नैमिषादीन्यरण्यानि पुरीः काशीपुरीमुखाः

Transliteration

smaredaruṃdhatīmukhyāḥ pativratavatīrvadhūḥ | naimiṣādīnyaraṇyāni purīḥ kāśīpurīmukhāḥ

Translation

Man soll der treuen, gelobten Ehefrauen (pativratā) gedenken, angeführt von Arundhatī; der heiligen Wälder, beginnend mit Naimiṣa; und der heiligen Städte, allen voran der Stadt Kāśī.

Word by Word

• स्मरेत्: should remember
• स्मरेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• अरुन्धतीमुख्याः: with Arundhatī as the foremost
• अरुन्धतीमुख्याः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अरुन्धती + मुख्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण-प्रयोगः ("वधूः" इति विशेष्यस्य)

• पतिव्रतवतीः: devoted to their husbands
• पतिव्रतवतीः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पतिव्रत + वत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण-प्रयोगः ("वधूः" इति विशेष्यस्य)

• वधूः: brides/wives
• वधूः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वधू (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• नैमिषादीनि: Naimiṣa and others
• नैमिषादीनि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नैमिष + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण-प्रयोगः ("अरण्यानि" इति विशेष्यस्य)

• अरण्यानि: forests
• अरण्यानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अरण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• पुरीः: cities
• पुरीः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• काशीपुरीमुखाः: with Kāśī as the foremost city
• काशीपुरीमुखाः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: काशीपुरी + मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण-प्रयोगः ("पुरीः" इति विशेष्यस्य)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (foremost purī); Naimiṣāraṇya (foremost araṇya in list)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sages in the Naimiṣa frame (implied by Naimiṣa mention)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim’s inner litany: Arundhatī as a luminous chaste wife beside Vasiṣṭha, then a sweep of sacred forests like Naimiṣa, finally the radiant skyline of Kāśī as the foremost holy city.

Characters & Entities

• Arundhatī
• Naimiṣāraṇya
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is upheld by exemplars (like Arundhatī) and by sacred landscapes; remembering them strengthens virtue and devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśīpurī (Vārāṇasī) is explicitly praised as foremost among cities; Naimiṣa is praised among sacred forests.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Morning smaraṇa of pativratā exemplars and प्रमुख (foremost) sacred places.