Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

कौपीनमात्र वसनान्स्मरारि ध्यान तत्परान् । कक्षीकृतमहालाबून्हुडुत्कारजितांबुदान्

Transliteration

kaupīnamātra vasanānsmarāri dhyāna tatparān | kakṣīkṛtamahālābūnhuḍutkārajitāṃbudān

Translation

In Kāśī he beheld ascetics clad only in a loincloth, wholly intent on meditating upon Smarāri (Śiva, the foe of Kāma), bearing great gourds slung at their sides, and whose simple cries seemed to outdo even the rumbling of clouds.

Word by Word

• कौपीनमात्र: having only a loincloth
• कौपीनमात्र: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कौपीन (प्रातिपदिक) + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; (विशेषण) ‘केवल-कौपीन-परिमित’

• वसनान्: garments
• वसनान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• स्मरारि: the foe of Kāma (Śiva)
• स्मरारि: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्मर (प्रातिपदिक) + अरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष-समास; प्रथमा/सम्बोधन-एकवचन (समासान्त-प्रातिपदिक); ‘स्मरस्य अरिः’ (शिवः)

• ध्यान: meditation
• ध्यान: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ध्यान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-एकवचन (समासपूर्वपद-रूप)

• तत्परान्: intent on that
• तत्परान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तत्पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; (विशेषण) ‘तस्मिन् परः’

• कक्षीकृत: held under the arm
• कक्षीकृत: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कक्षी-√कृ (धातु) (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘कक्ष्यां कृत’ (बगल में धारण किये हुए)

• महालाबून्: large gourds
• महालाबून्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + लाबू (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘महान् लाबूः’

• हुडुत्कारजित: conquered by loud cries (huḍutkāra)
• हुडुत्कारजित: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हुडुत्कार (प्रातिपदिक) + √जि (धातु) (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘हुडुत्कारैः जित’

• अम्बुदान्: clouds
• अम्बुदान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अम्बुद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative typically Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage-inquirer audience (rṣi/sūta frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A Kāśī street/ghāṭa scene with loincloth-clad ascetics absorbed in Śiva-dhyāna, gourds slung at their sides, their sharp calls echoing like thunder under a monsoon sky; Durvāsā (or a pilgrim-seer) observing with wonder.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Śiva (Smarāri)
• ascetics (vairāgins/munis)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is portrayed as a natural refuge for intense Śiva-meditation and radical simplicity, where renunciation itself becomes a sign of spiritual excellence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), celebrated as a field of Śiva-bhakti and ascetic discipline.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed; the verse highlights sādhana through dhyāna (meditation) and aparigraha-like simplicity.