Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

करमर्दैः करीरैश्च करजैश्चकरंबकैः । सहस्रकरवद्भांतमर्थिप्रत्युद्गतैः करैः

Transliteration

karamardaiḥ karīraiśca karajaiścakaraṃbakaiḥ | sahasrakaravadbhāṃtamarthipratyudgataiḥ karaiḥ

Translation

Paré d’arbres karamarda, karīra, karaja et karaṃbaka, il semblait avoir mille mains, des mains tendues comme pour accueillir les suppliants venus chercher refuge et bénédiction.

Word by Word

• करमर्दैः: with karamarda plants
• करमर्दैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: करमर्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; करण

• करीरैः: with karīra shrubs
• करीरैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: करीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; करण

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• करजैः: with karaja trees
• करजैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: करज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; करण

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• करंबकैः: with karambaka plants
• करंबकैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: करंबक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; करण

• सहस्र-करवत्: like having a thousand hands
• सहस्र-करवत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक) + कर (प्रातिपदिक) + वत् (तद्धित)
• Form: अव्ययवत्-प्रयोगः/विशेषण; ‘-वत्’ तद्धितान्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (भान्तम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)

• भान्तम्: shining
• भान्तम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भा (धातु) + शतृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• अर्थि-प्रत्युद्गतैः: gone forth to meet the supplicants
• अर्थि-प्रत्युद्गतैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अर्थिन् (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रति-उद्-गम् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त) ‘प्रत्युद्गत’ = gone forth to meet; पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; ‘करैः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• करैः: with hands (rays/branches metaphorically)
• करैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; करण

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (general)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Naimiṣāraṇya ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A lush sacred grove by the river with karamarda, karīra, karaja, and karaṃbaka trees; branches extend outward like many arms, as if greeting pilgrims arriving with folded hands.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Karamarda
• Karīra
• Karaja
• Karaṃbaka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The holy place is compassionate—Kāśī ‘reaches out’ to devotees, implying divine accessibility and protection for sincere seekers.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) as a welcoming kṣetra where petitioners come for merit and grace.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the emphasis is on the kṣetra’s hospitable, merit-giving nature.