Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

वनश्रियः कुचाकारैर्लकुचैश्च मनोहरम् । सुधाफलसमारंभि रंभाभिः परिभासितम्

Transliteration

vanaśriyaḥ kucākārairlakucaiśca manoharam | sudhāphalasamāraṃbhi raṃbhābhiḥ paribhāsitam

Translation

Charmant de la beauté de la forêt—orné de lakuca aux formes de seins arrondis—et rayonnant de toutes parts par les bosquets de bananiers, riches de fruits pareils au nectar.

Word by Word

• वनश्रियः: forest-beauties / beauties of the grove
• वनश्रियः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वनश्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन (feminine, nominative/accusative plural); समासः—वनस्य श्रीः इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

• कुचाकारैः: with breast-shaped (ones)
• कुचाकारैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कुचाकार (प्रातिपदिक) = कुच + आकार
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन (masculine, instrumental plural); समासः—कुचस्य आकारः इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

• लकुचैः: with lakuca fruits/trees
• लकुचैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लकुच (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन (masculine, instrumental plural)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• मनोहरम्: charming, delightful
• मनोहरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मनोहर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter, nominative/accusative singular); विशेषणम्

• सुधाफलसमारंभि: abounding in nectar-like fruits
• सुधाफलसमारंभि: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुधा-फल-समारंभिन् (प्रातिपदिक) = सुधा + फल + समारंभिन्
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter, nominative/accusative singular); समासः—(सुधायाः फलम्) इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष + समारंभिन् (बहुव्रीह्यर्थे ‘सुधाफलसमारंभः यस्य तत्’)

• रंभाभिः: by plantain/banana trees (rambhā)
• रंभाभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रंभा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन (feminine, instrumental plural)

• परिभासितम्: illuminated, made resplendent
• परिभासितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि√भास् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगार्थः (PPP, neuter nom/acc sg)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred forest-garden near Kāśī, heavy with lakuca fruits shaped like rounded breasts, and plantain groves glowing with nectar-rich bunches; soft golden light filters through dense foliage.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• vana (forest)
• lakuca
• rambhā (plantain/banana)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is portrayed as divinely auspicious even in its natural landscape—its beauty itself becomes a form of sacred praise (māhātmya).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) broadly—especially its sacred groves and environs described in Kāśīkhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse functions as a māhātmya-style description of the holy region’s sanctity.