Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 96

Devanagari script

नानारूपधराः सर्वे नानाशस्त्रास्त्र पाणयः । तदाकारैश्च तद्भृत्यैः कोटिशः परिवारिताः

Transliteration

nānārūpadharāḥ sarve nānāśastrāstra pāṇayaḥ | tadākāraiśca tadbhṛtyaiḥ koṭiśaḥ parivāritāḥ

Translation

Tous prennent des formes variées et portent des armes de toutes sortes ; et ils sont entourés de millions de serviteurs au même aspect et au même office.

Word by Word

• नानारूपधराः: assuming various forms
• नानारूपधराः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नाना-रूप-धर (प्रातिपदिक; नाना + रूप + धर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (नानारूपाणि धरन्ति ये)

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचन

• नाना: various
• नाना: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण-भावेन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाना (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विविधार्थक (various)

• शस्त्रास्त्र: weapons and missiles
• शस्त्रास्त्र: Visheshya (Head of compound qualifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शस्त्र-अस्त्र (प्रातिपदिक; शस्त्र + अस्त्र)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन (समाहार-द्वन्द्वः: weapons and missiles as a set)

• पाणयः: hands (as bearers)
• पाणयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाणि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचन; बहुव्रीह्यर्थे विशेषणवत् (पाणयः=हस्ताः)

• तदाकारैः: by those forms
• तदाकारैः: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद्-आकार (प्रातिपदिक; तद् + आकार)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया; बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (तेषां आकारैः)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक

• तद्भृत्यैः: by their attendants
• तद्भृत्यैः: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद्-भृत्य (प्रातिपदिक; तद् + भृत्य)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया; बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (तेषां भृत्यैः)

• कोटिशः: in crores
• कोटिशः: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कोटि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; परिमाणवाचक (distributive adverb: by crores/in millions)

• परिवारिताः: surrounded/attended
• परिवारिताः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicative adjective/समनाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परि-√वृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचन

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vast, swirling host of attendants—millions—each bearing weapons and shifting forms, surrounding the principal guardians like concentric waves; Kāśī appears at the center as an unassailable luminous core.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Bhairava (context)
• Vetāla (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The sacred field is shown as spiritually fortified—evil is checked by an overwhelming divine guard.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) as a protected kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual instruction appears in this verse.