Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

पूर्णभद्रोऽथ संवीक्ष्य मंदिरं सर्वसुंदरम् । तद्बालकोमलालाप विकलं त्यक्तमंगलम्

Transliteration

pūrṇabhadro'tha saṃvīkṣya maṃdiraṃ sarvasuṃdaram | tadbālakomalālāpa vikalaṃ tyaktamaṃgalam

Translation

Then Pūrṇabhadra, having looked upon the mansion—beautiful in every way—became distressed; for it lacked the tender, sweet prattle of a child, and so its auspiciousness seemed departed.

Word by Word

• pūrṇabhadraḥ: Pūrṇabhadra
• pūrṇabhadraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pūrṇabhadra (प्रातिपदिक; नाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse connective/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/सम्बन्धसूचक (conj./then)

• saṃvīkṣya: having looked at
• saṃvīkṣya: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √īkṣ (धातु) + सम् उपसर्ग (कृदन्त; ल्यप्/क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-रूपेण क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया—‘देखकर’

• maṃdiram: the mansion
• maṃdiram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maṃdira (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• sarva-suṃdaram: all-beautiful; very beautiful
• sarva-suṃdaram: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + suṃdara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (सर्वं सुन्दरम्)

• tad-bāla-komala-ālāpa: the tender speech of that child
• tad-bāla-komala-ālāpa: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + bāla (प्रातिपदिक) + komala (प्रातिपदिक) + ālāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (तस्य बालस्य कोमलः आलापः)

• vikalam: distressed; unsteady
• vikalam: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vikala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• tyakta-maṃgalam: bereft of auspiciousness
• tyakta-maṃgalam: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tyakta (कृदन्त; √tyaj (धातु) क्त) + maṃgala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण; समासः—तत्पुरुष (मङ्गलं त्यक्तम्)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pūrṇabhadra stands before an exquisitely adorned mansion; despite beauty, the scene is quiet—no child’s sounds—his face shows distress; the emptiness is the visual focus.

Characters & Entities

• Pūrṇabhadra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Outer prosperity is portrayed as incomplete without dharmic fullness—symbolized by the presence of family continuity and auspicious household life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative occurs within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s setting of Kāśī’s sacred landscape, though the verse itself focuses on household auspiciousness.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is descriptive within a story.