Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

शाकशंखवनैरम्यं चदनैरक्तचंदनैः । हरीतकीकर्णिकार धात्रीवनविभूषणम्

Transliteration

śākaśaṃkhavanairamyaṃ cadanairaktacaṃdanaiḥ | harītakīkarṇikāra dhātrīvanavibhūṣaṇam

Translation

ശാകയും ശംഖവൃക്ഷങ്ങളുമുള്ള മനോഹര ഉപവനങ്ങളാൽ അത് രമണീയമായിരുന്നു; ചന്ദനവും രക്തചന്ദനവും അതിനെ സുസോഭിതമാക്കി. ഹരീതകീ, കർണികാര, ധാത്രീ വനങ്ങൾ കൂടി അലങ്കരിച്ച് അത് മംഗളശോഭയുള്ള പുണ്യധാമമായി തോന്നിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• śāka-śaṃkha-vanairamyam: charming with śāka- and śaṃkha-groves
• śāka-śaṃkha-vanairamyam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śāka (प्रातिपदिक) + śaṃkha (प्रातिपदिक) + vana (प्रातिपदिक) + ramya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (neuter, nom/acc sg; 'pleasant due to śāka- and śaṃkha-forests')

• candana-īḥ: with sandalwoods
• candana-īḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: candana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन (neuter, instrumental, plural)

• rakta-candanaiḥ: with red sandalwoods
• rakta-candanaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rakta (प्रातिपदिक) + candana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (neuter, instrumental plural; 'red sandalwood')

• harītakī-karṇikāra-dhātrī-vana-vibhūṣaṇam: an adornment of the grove with harītakī, karṇikāra and dhātrī trees
• harītakī-karṇikāra-dhātrī-vana-vibhūṣaṇam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: harītakī (प्रातिपदिक) + karṇikāra (प्रातिपदिक) + dhātrī (प्रातिपदिक) + vana (प्रातिपदिक) + vibhūṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (neuter, nom/acc sg; 'ornament of the forest with harītakī, karṇikāra, dhātrī')

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (ārāma/vanam within the kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A fragrant Kāśī woodland: pale sandalwood trunks and red sandal hues; harītakī and dhātrī trees with small fruits; karṇikāra blossoms; the grove appears like a deity’s ornamented mantle.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The holiness of Kāśī is mirrored in its auspicious vegetation, suggesting that sacred space shapes and sanctifies the natural world.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī as a whole—its groves are celebrated as signs of divine presence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse functions as māhātmya-style praise through landscape description.