Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 92

Devanagari script

गुरुणाऽगुरुणामत्त भद्रजातिविहंगमम् । नागकेसरशाखास्थ शालभंजि विनोदितम्

Transliteration

guruṇā'guruṇāmatta bhadrajātivihaṃgamam | nāgakesaraśākhāstha śālabhaṃji vinoditam

Translation

Il montra un bosquet délicieux où des oiseaux de bon augure, enivrés de doux parfums, s’ébattaient; et où une jeune śālabhañjikā, posée sur la branche d’un nāgakesara, ensorcelait le paysage par son jeu.

Word by Word

• गुरुणा: by the teacher
• गुरुणा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; साधन/करणार्थे (instrumental)

• अगुरुणा: with aloe-wood/perfume (aguru)
• अगुरुणा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अगुरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; साधनार्थे

• मत्त: intoxicated
• मत्त: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मद् (धातु) → मत्त (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण (intoxicated)

• भद्रजाति: of the auspicious species/breed
• भद्रजाति: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भद्र (प्रातिपदिक) + जाति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/निर्धारणार्थ), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विहंगमम् इति विशेषणम्

• विहंगमम्: bird
• विहंगमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विहंगम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• नागकेसर: nāgakesara (Mesua ferrea)
• नागकेसर: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाग (प्रातिपदिक) + केसर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः (कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-प्राय), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-एकवचन-पूर्वपदनिर्देशे (शाखा-सम्बन्ध)

• शाखास्थ: situated on a branch
• शाखास्थ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शाखा (प्रातिपदिक) + स्थ (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः (सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष: शाखायाम् स्थितः), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; (विहंगमम् इति विशेषणम्)

• शालभंजि: with a śālabhañjikā (a maiden/figure)
• शालभंजि: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शालभंजि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; साधनार्थे (instrumental)

• विनोदितम्: delighted/amused
• विनोदितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि-नुद् (धातु) → विनोदित (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (amused/delighted)

Speaker

Skanda

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A perfumed grove where auspicious birds, intoxicated by fragrance, flit and call; a śālabhañjikā-like maiden figure is poised on a nāgakesara branch, turning the grove into a living ornament.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• nägakesara (tree)
• śālabhañjikā (tree-maiden motif)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is portrayed as a sanctified landscape where even nature’s beauty becomes a form of divine celebration, inspiring devotion through sacred aesthetics.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader sacred geography of Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) is being praised through the depiction of its divine grove (krīḍāvana).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct rite is prescribed here; the verse functions as māhātmya-style glorification through description.