Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

विप्रावभासते यावत्किरणैः पुष्पवंतयोः । तावतीभूः समुद्दिष्टा ससमुद्राद्रि कानना

Transliteration

viprāvabhāsate yāvatkiraṇaiḥ puṣpavaṃtayoḥ | tāvatībhūḥ samuddiṣṭā sasamudrādri kānanā

Translation

ഹേ വിപ്രാ! പുഷ്പഭരിതമായ ലോകത്ത് സൂര്യകിരണങ്ങളുടെ പ്രഭ എത്ര ദൂരമോളം വ്യാപിക്കുന്നുവോ, അത്രയേ ഭൂമിയുടെ വ്യാപ്തിയെന്ന്—സമുദ്രങ്ങൾ, ദ്വീപുകൾ, പർവതങ്ങൾ, വനങ്ങൾ സഹിതം—പ്രഖ്യാപിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• विप्र: the brāhmaṇa / the learned one
• विप्र: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेष्य-रूपेण (as subject)

• अवभासते: shines forth, appears radiant
• अवभासते: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भास् (धातु) + अव (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• यावत्: as far as, as long as
• यावत्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; परिमाण/अवधि-वाचक (correlative: 'as far as/so long as')

• किरणैः: by rays
• किरणैः: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• पुष्पवतयोः: of the flower-bearing (two)
• पुष्पवतयोः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुष्पवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (contextual), षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), द्विवचन; विशेषण (qualifier)

• तावती: so much, of that extent
• तावती: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तावत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; परिमाण-वाचक (correlative to यावत्)

• भूः: the earth
• भूः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• समुद्दिष्टा: is stated/declared
• समुद्दिष्टा: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + उद्दिश् (धातु) → समुद्दिष्ट (कृदन्त/PPP)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त/PPP); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; भूः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• स: with
• स: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स (अव्यय/उपसर्ग-सदृश)
• Form: अव्यय; सहार्थक-उपपद (meaning 'with')

• समुद्र: ocean
• समुद्र: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासाङ्ग (member in compound)

• अद्रि: mountain
• अद्रि: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अद्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासाङ्ग (member in compound)

• कानना: forests
• कानना: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कानन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (काननानि → काव्ये कानना); समासाङ्ग (member in compound)

Speaker

Skanda

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: a brāhmaṇa interlocutor (vipra)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic purāṇic world-view: the sun’s rays spreading over a blossoming earth, with stylized oceans, island-continents, mountain ranges, and forests arranged in concentric order.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Sūrya (Bhānu)
• Bhū (Earth)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Creation is portrayed as divinely ordered and measurable; recognizing this order supports dharmic reverence for the world as sacred.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is part of the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s broader teaching context, but this particular line focuses on cosmic/terrestrial extent rather than a single tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific vrata, dāna, snāna, or japa is prescribed in this verse.