Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 33

Devanagari script

लसद्वामार्धनारीकं कृतशेषशुभांगदम् । गंगातरंगसत्संग सदाधौतजटातटम्

Transliteration

lasadvāmārdhanārīkaṃ kṛtaśeṣaśubhāṃgadam | gaṃgātaraṃgasatsaṃga sadādhautajaṭātaṭam

Translation

Le flanc gauche resplendissant en Dame (Ardhanārī) ; le reste du corps paré d’ornements de bon augure ; et les rives de ses mèches emmêlées sans cesse lavées par la sainte compagnie des vagues du Gaṅgā.

Word by Word

• लसत्: shining
• लसत्: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लसत् (√लस् धातु; शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; विशेषण (present participle: shining)

• वामार्धनारीकम्: whose left half is female
• वामार्धनारीकम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वाम-अर्ध-नारीक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन; विशेषण; समासः—तत्पुरुष (वामे अर्धे नारीकं यस्य = having the left half as woman)

• कृत: made, fashioned
• कृत: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत (√कृ धातु; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; विशेषण (made, done)

• शेष: remaining
• शेष: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन; विशेषण (remaining)

• शुभ: auspicious
• शुभ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन; विशेषण (auspicious)

• अङ्गदम्: armlet
• अङ्गदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अङ्गद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन

• गङ्गा: of the Gaṅgā
• गङ्गा: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/Genitive) एकवचन (समासपूर्वपद-सम्बन्ध)

• तरङ्ग: wave
• तरङ्ग: Sambandha (Compound relation/समास-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तरङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध (समासाङ्ग)

• सत्सङ्ग: holy contact, good association
• सत्सङ्ग: Sambandha (Qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्-सङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (सतां सङ्गः)

• सदा: always
• सदा: Viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (adverb: always)

• धौत: washed, cleansed
• धौत: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धौत (√धाव्/√धौ धातु; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; विशेषण (washed/cleansed)

• जटा: matted hair
• जटा: Sambandha (Compound relation/समास-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जटा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध (समासाङ्ग)

• तटम्: bank, edge
• तटम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā in Kāśī (Ghāṭa-s)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Ardhanārīśvara: left half as the Goddess, right half as Śiva, richly ornamented; towering jaṭā with Gaṅgā’s waves washing and sparkling along the locks, suggesting perpetual sanctification; background hints of Kāśī ghats.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Ardhanārīśvara
• Gaṅgā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva contains and harmonizes Śakti within Himself; holiness (Gaṅgā) and divinity are inseparable in His presence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgā is explicitly praised; within Kāśī Khaṇḍa this reinforces Kāśī as Gaṅgā-tīra sanctified by Śiva.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; the imagery supports Gaṅgā-snān and Śiva-dhyāna as devotional practices in Kāśī.