Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

परितापहराणि पद्मिनीनां मृदुलान्यपि कंकणीकृतानि । गदितानि यदीश्वरेण सर्पास्तदभूत्सत्यमहोमहेश्वरेच्छा

Transliteration

paritāpaharāṇi padminīnāṃ mṛdulānyapi kaṃkaṇīkṛtāni | gaditāni yadīśvareṇa sarpāstadabhūtsatyamahomaheśvarecchā

Translation

Même les tendres fibres du lotus—faites pour apaiser la brûlure des jeunes filles du lotus—lorsque le Seigneur en parla, furent façonnées en bracelets, devenant des serpents. Ainsi la parole devint vraie : merveilleuse, en vérité, est la volonté de Maheśvara !

Word by Word

• परिताप-हराणि: removing distress
• परिताप-हराणि: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परिताप (प्रातिपदिक) + हर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (परितापं हरन्ति इति)

• पद्मिनीनाम्: of the lotus-women (lotus maidens)
• पद्मिनीनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद्मिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• मृदुलानि: soft
• मृदुलानि: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मृदुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (also/even)

• कङ्कणी-कृतानि: made into bangles
• कङ्कणी-कृतानि: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कङ्कणी (प्रातिपदिक) + कृ (धातु) → कृत (क्त-कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; क्त (past passive participle)

• गदितानि: having been said
• गदितानि: Kriya (Predicative participle/क्रिया-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गद् (धातु) → गदित (क्त-कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; क्त (said/spoken)

• यत्: which/that
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative)

• ईश्वरेण: by the Lord
• ईश्वरेण: Karana (Agent-instrumental/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• सर्पाः: snakes
• सर्पाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• तत्: that/thereupon
• तत्: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तद्-शब्द

• अभूत्: became/was
• अभूत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (aorist/अनद्यतनभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• सत्यम्: true
• सत्यम्: Kriya (Predicative complement/क्रिया-पूर्ति)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; वाक्ये विधेयभावे

• अहो: ah!/indeed!
• अहो: Sambandha (Exclamation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अहो (अव्यय)
• Form: विस्मयादिबोधक निपात (exclamation)

• महेश्वर-इच्छा: Mahēśvara’s will
• महेश्वर-इच्छा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक) + इच्छा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (महेश्वरस्य इच्छा)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra, implied)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Lotus maidens (padminīs) with cool lotus fibers; as Śiva speaks, the fibers transform into serpent-bracelets coiling gracefully around wrists—non-threatening nāgas as ornaments—while onlookers marvel at Mahēśvara’s will made manifest.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Maheśvara (Śiva)
• serpents (sarpāḥ)
• lotus-fibers/bracelets

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Lord’s will is sovereign: reality reshapes itself under Maheśvara’s command, affirming devotion to Śiva as the ultimate refuge.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse belongs to the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī-centered mahatmya; it praises Śiva’s power within that sacred narrative frame rather than naming a specific tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is an assertion of divine power and poetic wonder.