Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

विजिताब्जमहागंधैः पाटलामोदमोदिभिः । अदृष्टपूर्वलोकानां मनोनयनहारिभिः

Transliteration

vijitābjamahāgaṃdhaiḥ pāṭalāmodamodibhiḥ | adṛṣṭapūrvalokānāṃ manonayanahāribhiḥ

Translation

Fragrant beyond the great scent of lotuses, delighting with the perfume of pāṭalā blossoms—captivating the minds and eyes of worlds that had never seen such wonders before.

Word by Word

• विजिताब्जमहागंधैः: with fragrances surpassing lotus-perfume
• विजिताब्जमहागंधैः: Karana (Instrument/करणम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विजित (कृदन्त; √जि) + अब्ज (प्रातिपदिक) + महा (उपसर्ग/प्रातिपदिक) + गन्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुपद-तत्पुरुष-समासः (अब्जस्य महागन्धं विजितवन्तः); पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्गे तृतीया-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; भूतकृदन्तः (क्त)

• पाटलामोदमोदिभिः: with (those) delighting by the scent of pāṭalā
• पाटलामोदमोदिभिः: Karana (Instrument/करणम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाटला (प्रातिपदिक) + मोद (प्रातिपदिक) + मोदिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः (पाटलायाः मोदः; तेन मोदन्ति); पुंलिङ्गे तृतीया-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

• अदृष्टपूर्वलोकानाम्: of people who had never seen (them) before
• अदृष्टपूर्वलोकानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अदृष्ट (कृदन्त; √दृश्) + पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः (पूर्वे लोके अदृष्टाः); पुंलिङ्गे षष्ठी-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

• मनोनयनहारिभिः: captivating mind and eyes
• मनोनयनहारिभिः: Karana (Instrument/करणम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मनस् (प्रातिपदिक) + नयन (प्रातिपदिक) + हारिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः (मनः च नयनं च हरन्ति ये); पुंलिङ्गे तृतीया-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (sensory marvels of tīrtha-jala and offerings)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Air around the sacred waters is thick with lotus-surpassing fragrance and pāṭalā perfume; unseen worlds seem to gaze in astonishment; devotees’ eyes widen as the scene becomes a sensory marvel.

Characters & Entities

• Pāṭalā
• Lotus (abja)
• Tīrtha-jala

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The sacred manifests as beauty and purity; divine tīrthas uplift the senses toward reverence rather than attachment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī’s tīrtha waters connected to Śiva’s worship, praised for extraordinary purity and fragrance.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; it extols the sanctity of the waters used in worship and bathing.