Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

काचिदाकर्पणीं सिद्धिं ददावुच्चाटनं परा । काचिन्निजांगसौंदर्य युवचित्तविमोहिनी

Transliteration

kācidākarpaṇīṃ siddhiṃ dadāvuccāṭanaṃ parā | kācinnijāṃgasauṃdarya yuvacittavimohinī

Translation

L’une accorda le siddhi de l’attraction; une autre conféra le rite d’éloignement. Et l’une, par la beauté de ses propres membres, ensorcela l’esprit des jeunes hommes.

Word by Word

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

• आकर्पणीम्: attractive (drawing)
• आकर्पणीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आकर्पणी (प्रातिपदिक; √कृष्/कर्ष् ‘to draw’ से)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; ‘आकर्षणसमर्था’ (attractive/drawing)

• सिद्धिम्: a siddhi, supernatural power
• सिद्धिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• ददौ: gave
• ददौ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• उच्चाटनम्: the rite of expulsion (uccāṭana)
• उच्चाटनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उच्चाटन (प्रातिपदिक; उड्/चट्-व्युत्पत्त्यनुसार तान्त्रिक-प्रयोग)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; तान्त्रिककर्मविशेषः (rite of driving away/eradication)

• परा: another (woman)
• परा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

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

• निज-अङ्ग-सौन्दर्य: (by/with) her own bodily beauty
• निज-अङ्ग-सौन्दर्य: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निज (प्रातिपदिक) + अङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + सौन्दर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन (पाठे कर्मवत्/उपपदसम्बन्धे); ‘स्वाङ्गस्य सौन्दर्यम्’ = beauty of one’s own body

• युव-चित्त-विमोहिनी: enchanting the minds of young men
• युव-चित्त-विमोहिनी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: युव (प्रातिपदिक) + चित्त (प्रातिपदिक) + विमोहिनी (प्रातिपदिक; √मुह्)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘युवानां चित्तं विमोहयति’ = one who enchants young men’s minds

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (frame, not explicit in verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Three figures: one woman confers an attraction-siddhi; another performs uccāṭana with ritual gestures; a third, radiant in youthful beauty, turns heads of young men in a Kāśī lane near the ghāṭa.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Attraction—whether through siddhi or beauty—can bind minds; Purāṇic dharma implies such forces should be restrained and oriented toward higher good, especially in a sacred kṣetra.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī-kṣetra generally; no particular tīrtha is named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Only the terms ākarpaṇa and uccāṭana are mentioned; no explicit ritual procedure is given.