Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

उदुंबरैरंबरगैरनंतफलमालितैः । ब्रह्मांडकोटीर्बिभ्रंतमनंतमिव सर्वतः

Transliteration

uduṃbarairaṃbaragairanaṃtaphalamālitaiḥ | brahmāṃḍakoṭīrbibhraṃtamanaṃtamiva sarvataḥ

Translation

ഉദുംബരവും അംബരഗവൃക്ഷങ്ങളും അനന്തഫലമാലകളാൽ അലങ്കരിക്കപ്പെട്ടതിനാൽ, ആ വനം എല്ലാടവും അനേകം ബ്രഹ്മാണ്ഡകോടികളെ ധരിക്കുന്ന അനന്തൻ തന്നെയെന്നപോലെ തോന്നി।

Word by Word

• उदुम्बरैः: with udumbara (cluster-fig) trees
• उदुम्बरैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उदुम्बर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन

• अम्बरगैः: sky-going / reaching the sky
• अम्बरगैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अम्बरग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (उदुम्बराणाम्)

• अनन्त-फल-मालितैः: adorned with countless fruits
• अनन्त-फल-मालितैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनन्त (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक) + मालित (√माल्/मालि धातु, क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (अनन्तानि फलानि येषु/यैः मालिताः)

• ब्रह्माण्ड-कोटीः: crores of universes
• ब्रह्माण्ड-कोटीः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्माण्ड (प्रातिपदिक) + कोटि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (ब्रह्माण्डानां कोटयः)

• बिभ्रन्तम्: bearing/holding
• बिभ्रन्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भृ (√भृ धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• अनन्तम्: endless/infinite
• अनन्तम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (तस्य)

• इव: as if
• इव: Sambandha (Simile marker/उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमावाचक अव्यय

• सर्वतः: on all sides/everywhere
• सर्वतः: Adhikarana (Scope/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वतः (अव्यय; सर्व + तस्)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (cosmic form depiction)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A boundless sacred orchard: udumbara and aṃbaraga trees hang heavy with innumerable fruits; the grove visually expands into a cosmic panorama, as if each fruit were a universe and the whole scene is Ananta manifest.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• udumbara
• Ananta (Infinite)
• brahmāṇḍa (universes)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is framed as a microcosm of the cosmos—its sacredness is ‘infinite’ and all-pervading.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī-kṣetra in its cosmic aspect, as praised in Kāśīkhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated here.