Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 61

Devanagari script

सप्तविंशतिभिः सार्धं पत्नीभिस्तव कार्यकृत् । ओषधीः पूरयेत्सर्वा द्विजराजो महासुधीः

Transliteration

saptaviṃśatibhiḥ sārdhaṃ patnībhistava kāryakṛt | oṣadhīḥ pūrayetsarvā dvijarājo mahāsudhīḥ

Translation

Accomplissant ton œuvre avec ses vingt-sept épouses, le roi des « deux-fois-nés » (dvija), d’une sagesse suprême, comblerait toutes les plantes médicinales.

Word by Word

• सप्तविंशतिभिः: with twenty-seven
• सप्तविंशतिभिः: Sahakari (Associate/सहकारी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्तविंशति (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: (संख्यावाचक) तृतीया, बहुवचन; द्विगु-समासः (सप्त + विंशति) = 27

• सार्धम्: together with
• सार्धम्: Sahartha (Accompaniment/सहार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सार्धम् (अव्यय)
• Form: सहार्थक-अव्यय (with/together)

• पत्नीभिः: with wives
• पत्नीभिः: Sahakari (Associate/सहकारी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पत्नी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• तव: your
• तव: Shashthi-Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन

• कार्यकृत्: one who performs the task
• कार्यकृत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्य + कृ (धातु) (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (कार्यं करोति इति)

• ओषधीः: herbs
• ओषधीः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ओषधी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• पूरयेत्: should fill/complete
• पूरयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूर्/पॄ (धातु) (पूरयति)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• सर्वाः: all
• सर्वाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् ओषधीः इति

• द्विजराजः: king of the twice-born (best brāhmaṇa)
• द्विजराजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज + राज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (द्विजानां राजा)

• महासुधीः: very wise
• महासुधीः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा + सुधी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महान् सुधीः)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa norm)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: In-text interlocutor (context-dependent)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ‘king of the twice-born’ (evoking Soma/Chandra symbolism) with twenty-seven consorts works to supply all medicinal herbs; imagery blends lunar radiance, star-maidens, and overflowing herb stores.

Characters & Entities

• Oṣadhis

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Righteous action is supported by an ordered cosmos—resources (like healing herbs) are envisioned as divinely coordinated for dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The context remains Kāśī-khaṇḍa; the verse contributes to the larger Kāśī dharma-narrative rather than naming a distinct tirtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; it depicts provisioning/support for dharmic activity through the completeness of oṣadhis.