Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 66

Devanagari script

एवं गुणगणाकीर्णं बाणस्य भवनोत्तमम् । कैलासशिखरप्रख्यं महेन्द्रभवनोपमम्

Transliteration

evaṃ guṇagaṇākīrṇaṃ bāṇasya bhavanottamam | kailāsaśikharaprakhyaṃ mahendrabhavanopamam

Translation

Ainsi était le très excellent palais de Bāṇa, comblé d’innombrables splendeurs : pareil au sommet du Kailāsa, comparable au séjour de Mahendra (Indra).

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus, in this way
• एवम्: Sambandha/Prakara (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• गुणगणाकीर्णम्: filled with hosts of virtues/qualities
• गुणगणाकीर्णम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गुण (प्रातिपदिक) + गण (प्रातिपदिक) + आ√कॄ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (गुणगणैः आकीर्णम्), क्त-कृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; filled with multitudes of excellences

• बाणस्य: of Bāṇa
• बाणस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; Genitive singular

• भवनोत्तमम्: the best mansion
• भवनोत्तमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भवन (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष/कर्मधारय (उत्तमं भवनम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; excellent mansion

• कैलासशिखरप्रख्यम्: like the summit of Kailāsa
• कैलासशिखरप्रख्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कैलास (प्रातिपदिक) + शिखर (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रख्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (कैलासस्य शिखरवत् प्रख्यम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; resembling the peak of Kailāsa

• महेन्द्रभवनोपमम्: comparable to Indra’s abode
• महेन्द्रभवनोपमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महेन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक) + भवन (प्रातिपदिक) + उपम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (महेन्द्रस्य भवनस्य उपमम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; comparable to Indra’s palace

Speaker

Narrator (contextual, not explicitly named in this snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) kṣetra (contextual frame)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis/assembly (generic)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic reveal of the palace as a ‘Kailāsa-like’ peak: white-gold brilliance, towering silhouette, cloud-crowned, with a celestial aura suggesting Indra’s courtly grandeur.

Characters & Entities

• Bāṇa
• Kailāsa
• Mahendra (Indra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly grandeur can imitate divine splendor in appearance, yet true divinity is measured by dharma and devotion, not mere magnificence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kailāsa is invoked as a sacred benchmark by comparison, but the verse itself is not a tīrtha-phala passage.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; this verse is a poetic comparison praising architectural and royal magnificence.