Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

इष्टगंधिः सदैवास्तु सदैवास्त्वतिकोमला । सदैव निर्मला चास्तु सदैवास्त्वतिमंडनम्

Transliteration

iṣṭagaṃdhiḥ sadaivāstu sadaivāstvatikomalā | sadaiva nirmalā cāstu sadaivāstvatimaṃḍanam

Translation

常に好ましい香りを放たんことを；常にこの上なく柔らかならんことを。常に汚れなく清らかならんことを；常に至上の荘厳となさんことを。

Word by Word

• इष्टगन्धिः: having a pleasing fragrance
• इष्टगन्धिः: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इष्ट + गन्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; विशेषण; तत्पुरुषः (इष्टः गन्धः यस्याः)

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (always)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphasis)

• अस्तु: may it be
• अस्तु: Kriya (Benediction/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आशीर्लिङ्/Imperative used as benedictive); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण

• अस्तु: may it be
• अस्तु: Kriya (Benediction/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन

• अति-कोमला: very soft
• अति-कोमला: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अति + कोमल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; विशेषण; अव्ययीभावः (अति = अत्यर्थे)

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण

• निर्मला: pure, spotless
• निर्मला: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्मल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; विशेषण

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• अस्तु: may it be
• अस्तु: Kriya (Benediction/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण

• अस्तु: may it be
• अस्तु: Kriya (Benediction/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन

• अति-मण्डनम्: a great adornment
• अति-मण्डनम्: Karta (Predicate nominative/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अति + मण्डन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; विधेय; अव्ययीभावः (अति = अत्यर्थे)

Speaker

Gajāsura

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Frame audience (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Gajāsura blesses the proposed hide-adornment with perpetual fragrance, softness, spotless purity, and supreme ornamentation—turning a grim origin into an auspicious devotional object.

Characters & Entities

• Gajāsura
• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion seeks not power but lasting service and beautification of the divine—purity and pleasing qualities are offered to God.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within Kāśī Khaṇḍa’s celebration of Kāśī as Śiva’s domain where divine forms and symbols are explained and praised.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the language resembles devotional ‘saṅkalpa’ (pious wish) for auspicious qualities.