Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 67

Devanagari script

पादौ सुमांसलौ रक्तौ समौ सूक्ष्मौ सुशौभनौ । समगुल्फौ स्वेदहीनौ स्निग्धावैश्वर्यसूचकौ

Transliteration

pādau sumāṃsalau raktau samau sūkṣmau suśaubhanau | samagulphau svedahīnau snigdhāvaiśvaryasūcakau

Translation

Des pieds bien charnus, rougeoyants, égaux, d’un grain fin et beaux —aux chevilles équilibrées, sans sueur excessive et naturellement lisses— sont des signes qui indiquent prospérité et fortune seigneuriale.

Word by Word

• पादौ: (two) feet
• पादौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन

• सुमांसलौ: very fleshy
• सुमांसलौ: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (अव्यय-उपसर्ग) + मांसल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; कर्मधारय/उपपदसमासभावः: 'सु-मांसल' = very fleshy

• रक्तौ: reddish
• रक्तौ: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन

• समौ: even/symmetrical
• समौ: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन

• सूक्ष्मौ: fine/delicate
• सूक्ष्मौ: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सूक्ष्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन

• सुशौभनौ: very beautiful
• सुशौभनौ: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (अव्यय-उपसर्ग) + शोभन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; 'सु-शोभन' = very beautiful

• समगुल्फौ: with even ankles
• समगुल्फौ: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम (प्रातिपदिक) + गुल्फ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; कर्मधारय: 'समौ गुल्फौ यस्य' (even ankles)

• स्वेदहीनौ: free from sweating
• स्वेदहीनौ: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वेद (प्रातिपदिक) + हीन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; नञ्/तत्पुरुषभावः: 'स्वेदेन हीन' = devoid of sweat

• स्निग्धौ: smooth/oily
• स्निग्धौ: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्निग्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन

• ऐश्वर्यसूचकौ: indicators of prosperity
• ऐश्वर्यसूचकौ: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ऐश्वर्य (प्रातिपदिक) + सूचक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'ऐश्वर्यस्य सूचक' = indicating prosperity

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee’s feet—well-fleshed, reddish, smooth—stand on wet stone steps of a Kāśī ghāṭa after snāna; balanced ankles are emphasized; a faint lotus motif appears in the water reflection, hinting at Śrī.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Agastya
• Kāśī (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Prosperity is framed as a visible outcome of accumulated merit, reflected in auspicious physical harmony.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kāśī-khaṇḍa setting underlies the teaching, but no single shrine or ghāṭa is named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it provides lakṣaṇas (signs) and their phala (results).