Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 83

Devanagari script

चंद्रकांतमणीनां च स्तंभाधार शिलाश्च याः । चित्ररत्नमयैस्तंभैः स्तंभितास्तत्प्रभाभराः

Transliteration

caṃdrakāṃtamaṇīnāṃ ca staṃbhādhāra śilāśca yāḥ | citraratnamayaistaṃbhaiḥ staṃbhitāstatprabhābharāḥ

Translation

Und die Sockelsteine, die die Säulen tragen, sind aus Mondstein-Gemmen; von Säulen aus vielfarbigen Juwelen gestützt, sind sie beladen mit einer überströmenden Fülle von Glanz.

Word by Word

• चन्द्रकान्तमणीनाम्: of moonstone gems
• चन्द्रकान्तमणीनाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चन्द्रकान्त + मणि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Genitive), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः = ‘चन्द्रकान्तः मणिः’ (moonstone gem)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction)

• स्तम्भाधार: pillar-supporting
• स्तम्भाधार: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्तम्भ + आधार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक-रूप; तत्पुरुषः = ‘स्तम्भस्य आधारः’ (pillar-support/base)

• शिलाः: stones/slabs
• शिलाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction)

• याः: which
• याः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक (relative pronoun)

• चित्ररत्नमयैः: by/with (those) made of varied gems
• चित्ररत्नमयैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चित्र + रत्न + मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः = ‘चित्राणि रत्नानि येषु/येन’ (made of variegated gems)

• स्तम्भैः: by pillars
• स्तम्भैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्तम्भ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental), बहुवचन

• स्तम्भिताः: are supported
• स्तम्भिताः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्तम्भ् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन; ‘स्तम्भित’ = supported/held up

• तत्: of that
• तत्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Genitive), एकवचन (समासपूर्वपद-रूप)

• प्रभाभराः: masses of radiance
• प्रभाभराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभा + भर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः = ‘प्रभायाः भरः’ (mass/abundance of radiance)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (assumed frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Close-up of pillar bases: moonstone pedestals glowing with cool lunar sheen; above them, pillars of multicolored jewels, the whole hall flooded with layered radiance.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Avimukta)
• Candrakānta (moonstone)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The jeweled imagery signals that Kāśī’s sanctity is not ordinary wealth but divine effulgence—an outward sign of inner liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Avimukta-Kāśī, through descriptions of its divinely radiant supports and foundations.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the focus is on sacred description (sthala-vaibhava).