Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

अहोरूपमहो तेजस्त्वहो सर्वांगलक्षणम् । अहो शुचिष्मतीभाग्यमाविरासीत्स्वयं हरः

Transliteration

ahorūpamaho tejastvaho sarvāṃgalakṣaṇam | aho śuciṣmatībhāgyamāvirāsītsvayaṃ haraḥ

Translation

“Ah, what beauty! Ah, what splendor! Ah, what perfect auspicious marks upon every limb! Ah, the pure and radiant fortune—Hara (Śiva) himself has appeared in person!”

Word by Word

• अहो: oh!, indeed!
• अहो: Bhava (Exclamation/उद्गार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: aho (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (exclamation/interjection)

• रूपम्: form, beauty
• रूपम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन

• अहो: oh!
• अहो: Bhava (Exclamation/उद्गार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: aho (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (exclamation)

• तेजः: splendour, radiance
• तेजः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tejas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन

• तु: indeed, but
• तु: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle; emphasis/contrast)

• अहो: oh!
• अहो: Bhava (Exclamation/उद्गार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: aho (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (exclamation)

• सर्व: all
• सर्व: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासपूर्वपद; विशेषण

• अङ्ग: limb, body-part
• अङ्ग: Sambandha (Compound relation/समाससम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासपूर्वपद

• लक्षणम्: mark, characteristic
• लक्षणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lakṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अहो: oh!
• अहो: Bhava (Exclamation/उद्गार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: aho (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (exclamation)

• शुचिष्मती: pure, radiant
• शुचिष्मती: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śuciṣmatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; विशेषण

• भाग्यम्: fortune
• भाग्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāgya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• आविरासीत्: appeared, became manifest
• आविरासीत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (धातु) + āvis (अव्यय/उपपद)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• स्वयम्: by himself
• स्वयम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: svayam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• हरः: Hara (Śiva)
• हरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (narrating; exclamatory praise voiced by devotees/attendants—contextual)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (implied)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sudden epiphany: Śiva appears in person, radiant tejas flooding the scene; devotees exclaim at his perfect auspicious marks; the atmosphere is pure, luminous, and still, with Kāśī’s ghāṭa silhouettes faintly behind.

Characters & Entities

• Hara (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine grace culminates in darśana—Śiva’s direct manifestation is celebrated as the highest auspiciousness and purity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is implied through the Kāśīkhaṇḍa frame; the verse emphasizes Śiva’s appearance rather than naming a particular tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed; the verse records devotional praise at the moment of Śiva’s manifestation.