Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

चित्रलेखन नैपुण्यात्काचिज्जनमनोहरा । वशीकरणमंत्रज्ञा काचित्तत्र चचार ह

Transliteration

citralekhana naipuṇyātkācijjanamanoharā | vaśīkaraṇamaṃtrajñā kācittatra cacāra ha

Translation

Par sa maîtrise de la peinture et du dessin, l’une charmait l’esprit des gens. Une autre, connaissant les mantras d’attraction et d’assujettissement, allait et venait en ce lieu.

Word by Word

• चित्र-लेखन: of picture-drawing
• चित्र-लेखन: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चित्र (प्रातिपदिक) + लेखन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन (समासपूर्वपद); ‘चित्रलेखन’ = picture-drawing/painting

• नैपुण्यात्: from skill; due to expertise
• नैपुण्यात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नैपुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे (ablative of cause)

• काचित्: some (woman)
• काचित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काचित् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक; किम्)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• जन-मनोहरा: delighting people; charming
• जन-मनोहरा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जन (प्रातिपदिक) + मनोहरा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘जनानां मनोहरा’ = charming to people

• वशीकरण-मन्त्रज्ञा: knower of enchantment/subjugation mantras
• वशीकरण-मन्त्रज्ञा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वशीकरण (प्रातिपदिक) + मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक) + ज्ञा (प्रातिपदिक; ज्ञ ‘knower’)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘वशीकरणस्य मन्त्रस्य ज्ञा’ = knower of the subjugation-mantra

• काचित्: some (woman)
• काचित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काचित् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक; किम्)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय—स्थानवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

• चचार: wandered, moved about
• चचार: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: चर् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; ‘चचार’ = wandered/moved about

• ह: indeed
• ह: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय—निपात (emphatic particle)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣi-assembly (frame, not explicit in verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A gifted woman paints vivid murals or scrolls, charming onlookers; nearby, another woman quietly recites attraction-mantras, moving through the crowd with an aura of influence.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The verse contrasts aesthetic charm and mantra-based influence, implying that power—artistic or esoteric—should be understood within dharma in a sacred place like Kāśī.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī-kṣetra broadly; no individual tīrtha is mentioned.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; only knowledge of mantras is referenced.