Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

अंगहारैर्मनोहारि चारी मंडलसंयुतम् । क्षणं तत्र सरस्तीरे उपविष्टो महातपाः

Transliteration

aṃgahārairmanohāri cārī maṃḍalasaṃyutam | kṣaṇaṃ tatra sarastīre upaviṣṭo mahātapāḥ

Translation

Mit bezaubernden Aṅgahāras, verbunden mit Schritten und kreisenden Bewegungen, setzte sich der große Asket dort für einen Augenblick ans Ufer des Sees.

Word by Word

• अङ्गहारैः: with bodily movements/poses
• अङ्गहारैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अङ्गहार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन

• मनोहारि: charming, captivating
• मनोहारि: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मनो-हारि (प्रातिपदिक; मनस् + हारि)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग/स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (सामान्यतः नपुंसकं ‘-i’); समास: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (‘मनसः हारि’ = mind-stealing)

• चारी: dance-movement (cārī)
• चारी: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चारी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (नृत्य-परिभाषा: gait/movement)

• मण्डलसंयुतम्: combined with circular formations
• मण्डलसंयुतम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मण्डल-संयुत (प्रातिपदिक; मण्डल + संयुत)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समास: तृतीया-तत्पुरुष (‘मण्डलेन संयुतम्’ = joined with a circle/mandala-formation)

• क्षणम्: for a moment
• क्षणम्: Kāla-adhikarana (Temporal/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कालपरिमाण

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (locative adverb)

• सरःतीरे: on the lake’s bank
• सरःतीरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्-तीर (प्रातिपदिक; सरस् + तीर)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन; समास: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (‘सरसः तीरम्’), सप्तमी एकवचन

• उपविष्टः: sat down
• उपविष्टः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-विश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘having sat down’

• महातपाः: the great ascetic
• महातपाः: Karta (Subject apposition/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महातपस् (प्रातिपदिक; महा + तपस्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समास: कर्मधारय (‘महान् तपाः’ = great ascetic)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Kāśīkhaṇḍa context: Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Saras (lake) at whose bank the ascetic rests

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: After captivating dance sequences with steps and circular patterns, the great ascetic sits quietly on the lake’s bank; the water is calm, the air charged with sacred hush after movement.

Characters & Entities

• Saras (lake)
• Mahātapāḥ (the ascetic, Vālmīki implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion can flow through movement and then settle into stillness—worship culminates in quiet composure.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A lake-shore within the Kāśī sacred setting is indicated (saras-tīra), but the lake is not named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No formal prescription; it describes devotional dance-forms and a contemplative pause by the waterside.