Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 92

Devanagari script

प्रत्यग्रकेतकीपुष्पलसद्धम्मिल्ल मस्तका । सर्वांग मुक्ताभरणा चंद्रकांत्यंशुकावृता

Transliteration

pratyagraketakīpuṣpalasaddhammilla mastakā | sarvāṃga muktābharaṇā caṃdrakāṃtyaṃśukāvṛtā

Translation

Ihr Haupt ist geschmückt mit einem leuchtenden Zopf, bekrönt von frischen Ketakī-Blüten; ihr ganzer Leib ist mit Perlen geziert; und sie trägt Gewänder, die in mondgleichem Glanz erstrahlen.

Word by Word

• pratyagra-ketakī-puṣpa-lasat: shining with fresh ketakī flowers
• pratyagra-ketakī-puṣpa-lasat: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pratyagra (प्रातिपदिक) + ketakī (प्रातिपदिक) + puṣpa (प्रातिपदिक) + lasat (कृदन्त; √las लस् (धातु) शतृ)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त ‘लसत्’ विशेषण (fem. nom. sg.)

• dhammilla-mastakā: having a head adorned with a hair-knot/braid
• dhammilla-mastakā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhammilla (प्रातिपदिक) + mastaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (fem. nom. sg.)

• sarvāṃgā: (adorned) all over the body
• sarvāṃgā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + aṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (fem. nom. sg.)

• muktā-abharaṇā: wearing pearl ornaments
• muktā-abharaṇā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: muktā (प्रातिपदिक) + ābharaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (fem. nom. sg.)

• caṃdra-kāṃti-aṃśuka-āvṛtā: covered with a cloth of moonlike radiance
• caṃdra-kāṃti-aṃśuka-āvṛtā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: caṃdra (प्रातिपदिक) + kāṃti (प्रातिपदिक) + aṃśuka (प्रातिपदिक) + āvṛtā (कृदन्त; √vṛ वृ (धातु) क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त ‘आवृता’ (fem. nom. sg.)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa context typically Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Maṇikarṇikā

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The goddess-form wears ketakī blossoms on a shining braid, is adorned with pearl ornaments over the whole body, and wears moon-bright garments; the ambience suggests nocturnal Kāśī with moonlight on the Gaṅgā.

Characters & Entities

• Maṇikarṇikā Devī
• Ketakī flower

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Auspicious adornment language elevates the devotee’s imagination into reverence, making meditation vivid and steady.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Maṇikarṇikā Tīrtha in Kāśī, through the celebratory depiction of its presiding goddess.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse continues the dhyāna/visualization framework.