Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

एलालवंग मरिचकुलुं जनवनावृतम् । जंब्वाम्रातकभल्लातशेलुश्रीपर्णिवर्णितम्

Transliteration

elālavaṃga maricakuluṃ janavanāvṛtam | jaṃbvāmrātakabhallātaśeluśrīparṇivarṇitam

Translation

It was enfolded by groves of ela (cardamom), lavanga (clove), marica (pepper), and jujube; and richly adorned with jambū, wild mango (āmrātaka), marking-nut trees (bhallātaka), śelu, and śrīparṇī—thus proclaiming the abundance of that sacred woodland.

Word by Word

• elā: cardamom
• elā: Visheshya (Appositional item/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: elā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (feminine, nominative/accusative, singular)

• lavaṃga: clove
• lavaṃga: Visheshya (Appositional item/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lavaṃga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter, nominative/accusative, singular)

• marica-kulum: a cluster/abundance of pepper
• marica-kulum: Visheshya (Appositional item/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: marica (प्रातिपदिक) + kula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (neuter, nominative/accusative, singular; genitive tatpurusha: 'family/cluster of pepper')

• jana-vana-āvṛtam: covered/encircled by groves and people
• jana-vana-āvṛtam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jana (प्रातिपदिक) + vana (प्रातिपदिक) + ā√vṛ (धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) ‘āvṛta’; तत्पुरुष-समास (neuter, nom/acc sg; 'covered by people/forest')

• jaṃbū-āmrātaka-bhallāta-śelu-śrīparṇi-varṇitam: characterized by jambū, āmrātaka, bhallāta, śelu and śrīparṇī trees
• jaṃbū-āmrātaka-bhallāta-śelu-śrīparṇi-varṇitam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jaṃbū (प्रातिपदिक) + āmrātaka (प्रातिपदिक) + bhallāta (प्रातिपदिक) + śelu (प्रातिपदिक) + śrīparṇī (प्रातिपदिक) + √varṇ (धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त ‘varṇita’ (described/characterized); पूर्वपदेषु समाहार-द्वन्द्व/समुच्चय (neuter, nom/acc sg; 'characterized by jambū, āmrātaka, bhallāta, śelu, śrīparṇī')

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (forest/ārāma lakṣaṇa)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dense sacred grove in Kāśī: cardamom, clove, pepper shrubs; jujube and jambū trees heavy with fruit; wild mango and bhallātaka; śelu and śrīparṇī leaves shimmering—an abundant, orderly wilderness suggesting divine curation.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• sacred grove/forest (vana)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is portrayed as a divinely sustained sacred landscape, where nature itself becomes an offering and ornament to dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) broadly—its sacred groves and forested environs described in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse is descriptive, establishing the sanctity of the place through its sacred flora.