Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 98

Devanagari script

भिल्ली हल्लीसकप्रीति झिल्लीरावविराविणम् । क्वचित्सरः परिसरक्रीडत्क्रोडकदंबकम्

Transliteration

bhillī hallīsakaprīti jhillīrāvavirāviṇam | kvacitsaraḥ parisarakrīḍatkroḍakadaṃbakam

Translation

അത് ഭില്ലീയും ഹല്ലീസകവള്ളികളും ആനന്ദിക്കുന്നതും, ഝില്ലികളുടെ ചിലമ്പലാൽ മുഴങ്ങുന്നതുമായിരുന്നു. ചിലിടങ്ങളിൽ സരോവരങ്ങൾ; അവയുടെ ചുറ്റും കടംബക്കൂട്ടങ്ങൾക്കിടയിൽ വരാഹക്കൂട്ടങ്ങൾ ക്രീഡിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• भिल्ली: bhillī (a creeper/plant)
• भिल्ली: Sambandha (Genitive sense in compound/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भिल्ली (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (fem nom sg)

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

• प्रीति: delight, fondness
• प्रीति: Viśeṣya (Qualified noun/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रीति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (fem nom/acc sg)

• झिल्ली: cricket (insect)
• झिल्ली: Sambandha (Genitive sense in compound/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: झिल्ली (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (fem nom sg)

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

• विराविणम्: resounding
• विराविणम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विराविन् (√रु धातु, णिनि-प्रत्यय; कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; णिनि-प्रत्ययान्त (neuter nom/acc sg; sounding)

• क्वचित्: somewhere
• क्वचित्: Adhikaraṇa (Locative adverbial/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्वचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देश/कालवाचक-अव्यय (indeclinable adverb: ‘somewhere/at times’)

• सरः: lake
• सरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (neuter nominative singular)

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

• क्रीडत्: playing, sporting
• क्रीडत्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्रीडत् (√क्रीड् धातु, शतृ-प्रत्यय; कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (present active participle)

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

• कदंबकम्: cluster, group
• कदंबकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कदंबक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter nom/acc sg)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A grove where crickets chirp; vines (bhillī, hallīsaka) cling and bloom; small lakes appear between kadamba clusters; boars play at the water’s edge, suggesting a living, thriving sanctuary.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• lakes (saras)
• crickets (jhillī)
• boars (kroḍa)
• kadamba

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A sacred place harmonizes all beings—plants, insects, and animals—into a living testimony of dharma and divine order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse highlights lakes and surrounding groves within the Kāśī sacred region described in this adhyāya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a topographical and ecological glorification.