Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 91

Devanagari script

वयश्च प्रथमं चारु रूपं त्रैलोक्यकांक्षितम् । सर्वाभिभवनं स्त्रीत्वं कुलं चातीव निर्मलम्

Transliteration

vayaśca prathamaṃ cāru rūpaṃ trailokyakāṃkṣitam | sarvābhibhavanaṃ strītvaṃ kulaṃ cātīva nirmalam

Translation

ວັຍຂອງຂ້າພະເຈົ້າຢູ່ໃນດອກບານແຫ່ງວັຍໜຸ່ມຕອນຕົ້ນ; ຮູບງາມຂອງຂ້າພະເຈົ້ານ່າຊົມ—ເປັນທີ່ປາຖະໜາໃນໄຕໂລກ. ຄວາມເປັນນາຣີຂອງຂ້າພະເຈົ້າລ້ຳເຫນືອທຸກຄົນ ແລະຕະກູນຂອງຂ້າພະເຈົ້າບໍລິສຸດຢ່າງຍິ່ງ.

Word by Word

• vayaḥ: age/youth
• vayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vayas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Avyaya (Conjunction/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (and)

• prathamam: first/early
• prathamam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prathama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (first/early)

• ca: and
• ca: Avyaya (Conjunction/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय

• āru: beautiful
• āru: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: āru (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (beautiful/pleasing)

• rūpam: form/beauty
• rūpam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• trailokya-kāṃkṣitam: desired by the three worlds
• trailokya-kāṃkṣitam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक) + kāṃkṣita (कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘त्रैलोक्येन/त्रैलोक्यस्य काम्यते’—काङ्क्ष्-धातोः क्त; ‘desired by the three worlds’

• sarva-abhibhavanam: overpowering all
• sarva-abhibhavanam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + abhibhavana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः ‘सर्वान् अभिभवति’ (overpowering all)

• strītvaṃ: womanhood
• strītvaṃ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: strītva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; भाववाचक (state of being a woman)

• kulam: family/lineage
• kulam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Avyaya (Conjunction/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय

• atīva: very
• atīva: Avyaya (Adverb/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atīva (अव्यय)
• Form: अतिशयार्थक-अव्यय (very/exceedingly)

• nirmalam: pure/spotless
• nirmalam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nirmala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

Speaker

The woman character (self-assessment), reported by Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A self-portrait in words: a young woman in the first bloom of youth, radiant beauty and noble lineage, standing with confident posture—yet the narrative undertone hints at pride as a precipice.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly advantages—youth, beauty, lineage—can become causes of pride; dharma calls for humility and restraint.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tirtha is explicitly praised in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.