Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 62

Devanagari script

प्रायो मदन भूपाल हर्म्य रत्नांतरे शुभे । जितप्रवालसुच्छाये तस्या रदनवाससी

Transliteration

prāyo madana bhūpāla harmya ratnāṃtare śubhe | jitapravālasucchāye tasyā radanavāsasī

Translation

ഹേ രാജാവേ! അവളുടെ ചുണ്ടുകൾ പവിഴത്തിന്റെ ഭംഗിയെ വെല്ലുന്നതും, കാമദേവന്റെ രത്നക്കൊട്ടാരം പോലെയുമാണ്.

Word by Word

• प्रायः: mostly
• प्रायः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रायः (अव्यय)
• Form: नित्यत्व/बहुलत्ववाचक-अव्ययम् (adverb: mostly/usually)

• मदन: O Madana (Love-god)
• मदन: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मदन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन, एकवचनम् (masc voc sg)

• भूपाल: O king
• भूपाल: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूपाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन, एकवचनम् (masc voc sg)

• हर्म्य: in a palace
• हर्म्य: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हर्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी, एकवचनम् (neut loc sg)

• रत्नान्तरे: among jewels
• रत्नान्तरे: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रत्न + अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी, एकवचनम् (neut loc sg); रत्न-अन्तरे = ‘amid/between jewels’

• शुभे: auspicious/beautiful
• शुभे: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी, एकवचनम्; अधिकरण-विशेषणम् (qualifying the place)

• जित: surpassing
• जित: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जि (धातु) → जित (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्तः; नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी, एकवचनम्; समासाङ्ग

• प्रवाल: coral
• प्रवाल: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रवाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, षष्ठी, एकवचनम्; समासाङ्ग

• सुच्छाये: in splendid hue
• सुच्छाये: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सु + छाया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, सप्तमी, एकवचनम् (fem loc sg); सु-छाये = ‘in fine lustre/shade’

• तस्याः: of her
• तस्याः: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, षष्ठी, एकवचनम् (fem gen sg)

• रदन: tooth
• रदन: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रदन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, षष्ठी, एकवचनम्; समासाङ्ग

• वाससी: two coverings/garments
• वाससी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वासस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, द्विवचनम् (neut nom dual); रदन-वाससी = ‘two garments of the teeth’ (i.e., lips as coverings)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (bhūpāla) within the embedded story-world; plus frame ṛṣis indirectly

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Addressed to a king: the maiden’s teeth and lips are likened to a jeweled palace of Love—radiant within; lips surpassing coral in brightness.

Characters & Entities

• Madana (Kāma)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇa’s descriptive beauty (kāvya-style) serves the larger sacred narrative, where worldly splendour is framed within dharma and the sanctity of Kāśī.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī indirectly; this is part of the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s kṣetra-centered narration.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.