Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 110

Devanagari script

चंद्रकांतशिलासुप्तकृष्णैणहरितोडुपम् । तरुप्रकीर्णकुसुम जितस्वर्लोकतारकम् । दर्शयन्नित्थमाक्रीडं देव्यै देवोविशद्वनम्

Transliteration

caṃdrakāṃtaśilāsuptakṛṣṇaiṇaharitoḍupam | taruprakīrṇakusuma jitasvarlokatārakam | darśayannitthamākrīḍaṃ devyai devoviśadvanam

Translation

ചന്ദ്രകാന്തശിലകളിൽ കൃഷ്ണമൃഗങ്ങൾ ഉറങ്ങുന്നതുപോലെ, പച്ചമിശ്രിത നക്ഷത്രപ്രഭയിൽ അത് ദീപ്തമായി. വൃക്ഷങ്ങൾ എല്ലാടവും പുഷ്പങ്ങൾ ചിതറിച്ചു; സ്വർഗ്ഗലോകത്തിലെ താരകളെയും ജയിക്കുന്ന ശോഭ. ഇങ്ങനെ ദേവൻ ദേവിയോട് ആ നിർമ്മലമായ പവിത്രവനം—ക്രീഡോദ്യാനം—കാണിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• चन्द्रकान्त: moonstone
• चन्द्रकान्त: Sambandha (Genitive sense in compound/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक) + कान्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (masc nom/acc sg; ‘moon-beloved’ = moonstone)

• शिला: rock, slab
• शिला: Adhikaraṇa (Locative sense in compound/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (fem nom/acc sg)

• सुप्त: sleeping, lying
• सुप्त: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुप्त (√स्वप् धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय; कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (neuter nom/acc sg; slept/lying)

• कृष्ण: black
• कृष्ण: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (masc nom/acc sg)

• एण: antelope/deer
• एण: Sambandha (Genitive sense in compound/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (masc nom/acc sg)

• हरित: greenish
• हरित: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हरित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter nom/acc sg)

• उडुपम्: star/planet (luminary)
• उडुपम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उडुप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter nom/acc sg)

• तरु: tree
• तरु: Sambandha (Genitive sense in compound/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (masc nom/acc sg)

• प्रकीर्ण: scattered
• प्रकीर्ण: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रकीर्ण (√कॄ/कीर् धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय; कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (neuter nom/acc sg; scattered)

• कुसुम: flower
• कुसुम: Viśeṣya (Qualified noun/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुसुम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter nom/acc sg)

• जित: surpassing, having outshone
• जित: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जित (√जि धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय; कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (neuter nom/acc sg; conquered/surpassing)

• स्वर्लोक: heavenly world
• स्वर्लोक: Sambandha (Genitive sense in compound/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर् (प्रातिपदिक) + लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (masc nom/acc sg; ‘heaven-world’)

• तारकम्: star, luminary
• तारकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तारक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter nom/acc sg)

• दर्शयन्: showing
• दर्शयन्: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दर्शयत् (√दृश् धातु, णिच्; शतृ-प्रत्यय; कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; शतृ-वर्तमानकृदन्त (masc nom sg; ‘showing’)

• इत्थम्: thus
• इत्थम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इत्थम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (indeclinable adverb: ‘thus/in this manner’)

• आक्रीडम्: playground, pleasure-grove
• आक्रीडम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आक्रीड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter accusative singular)

• देव्यै: to the goddess
• देव्यै: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचन (fem dative singular)

• देवः: the god
• देवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (masc nominative singular)

• विशद: clear, bright
• विशद: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विशद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter nom/acc sg)

• वनम्: forest
• वनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter accusative singular)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva (Deva) leads Devī into a clear radiant forest: moonstone slabs gleam like greenish star-points; they resemble dark antelopes asleep; blossoms carpet the ground; the grove’s light seems to outshine the stars of heaven.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Deva (Śiva)
• Devī (Pārvatī)
• caṃdrakānta-śilā (moonstone)
• kṛṣṇaiṇa (black antelope)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s sanctity is so great that it is depicted as surpassing heaven itself; devotion is strengthened by contemplating the divine presence pervading the land.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A luminous ‘ākrīḍa’ (divine pleasure-grove) within the sacred sphere of Kāśī, presented in a Śiva–Devī context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is specified; the verse is a climactic glorification of the sacred forest’s radiance and divinity.