Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

द्राक्षावल्लीनागवल्लीकणावल्लीशतावृतम् । मल्लिकायूथिकाकुंदम दयंती सुगंधिनम्

Transliteration

drākṣāvallīnāgavallīkaṇāvallīśatāvṛtam | mallikāyūthikākuṃdama dayaṃtī sugaṃdhinam

Translation

It was covered with vines of grapes, betel (nāgavallī), and hundreds of fragrant creepers; and it was sweetly perfumed with jasmine (mallikā), yūthikā, and kunda blossoms, along with dayantī—filling the sacred tract with an enchanting fragrance.

Word by Word

• drākṣā-vallī-nāga-vallī-kaṇā-vallī-śatāvṛtam: covered with hundreds of grape-, nāga- and kaṇā-creepers
• drākṣā-vallī-nāga-vallī-kaṇā-vallī-śatāvṛtam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: drākṣā (प्रातिपदिक) + vallī (प्रातिपदिक) + nāga (प्रातिपदिक) + vallī (प्रातिपदिक) + kaṇā (प्रातिपदिक) + vallī (प्रातिपदिक) + śata (प्रातिपदिक) + ā√vṛ (धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त ‘āvṛta’; तत्पुरुष-समास (neuter, nom/acc sg; 'covered with hundreds of creepers: grape-creeper, nāga-creeper, kaṇā-creeper')

• mallikā-yūthikā-kunda: jasmine, yūthikā and kunda flowers (collectively)
• mallikā-yūthikā-kunda: Visheshya (Appositional item/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mallikā (प्रातिपदिक) + yūthikā (प्रातिपदिक) + kunda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (समाहार-द्वन्द्व) (neuter, nom/acc sg; collective dvandva)

• dayaṃtī: dayantī plant/flower
• dayaṃtī: Visheshya (Appositional item/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dayaṃtī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (feminine, nominative/accusative, singular)

• sugandhinam: fragrant
• sugandhinam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (उपसर्ग) + gandhin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (masculine, accusative, singular) (also usable as neuter nom/acc sg by context)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (puṣpa-gandha-latā-śobhā)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vine-laden sacred garden: grape clusters, betel creepers, countless fragrant vines; jasmine, yūthikā, kunda, and dayantī blossoms scenting the air; petals scattered on a path leading toward a shrine.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places are depicted as naturally saturated with auspiciousness—beauty and fragrance become signs of spiritual potency.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī’s sacred environs (vana/ārāma) within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the emphasis is on the sanctifying atmosphere of the place.