Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

वसीरन्नानुपूर्व्येण शाण क्षौमाविकानि च । द्विजस्य मेखला मौंजी मौर्वी च भुजजन्मनः । भवेत्त्रिवृत्समाश्लक्ष्णा विशस्तु शणतांतवी

Transliteration

vasīrannānupūrvyeṇa śāṇa kṣaumāvikāni ca | dvijasya mekhalā mauṃjī maurvī ca bhujajanmanaḥ | bhavettrivṛtsamāślakṣṇā viśastu śaṇatāṃtavī

Translation

അവൻ ക്രമമായി ശാണം, ക്ഷൗമം, ഉണ്ണിവസ്ത്രം എന്നിവ ധരിക്കണം. ദ്വിജന്റെ മേഖല മുഞ്ജപുല്ലിൽ; ഭുജജന്മൻ (ക്ഷത്രിയൻ)ക്ക് മൗർവിയിൽ. അത് മൃദുവായി ത്രിവൃതമായിരിക്കണം; വൈശ്യന് ശണതന്തുവിന്റെ മേഖല വിധിക്കപ്പെട്ടിരിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• vasīran: fine; soft
• vasīran: Karma (Qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vasīra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (fine/soft; context: cloth/material)

• anupūrvyeṇa: in proper order
• anupūrvyeṇa: Adhikarana (Manner/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: anupūrvya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; तृतीया used adverbially: ‘in proper sequence’

• śāṇam: hemp/śāṇa cloth
• śāṇam: Karma (Item specified/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘hemp/linen-like fibre; cloth’

• kṣauma-āvikāni: linen and woollen (things)
• kṣauma-āvikāni: Karma (Items specified/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣauma (प्रातिपदिक) + āvika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; द्वन्द्व: ‘linen and woollen (items)’

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction)

• dvijasya: of a twice-born (man)
• dvijasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• mekhalā: girdle
• mekhalā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mekhalā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• mauṃjī: made of muñja
• mauṃjī: Karta (Qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mauṃjī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण: ‘made of muñja-grass’

• maurvī: made of murvā
• maurvī: Karta (Qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: maurvī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण: ‘made of murvā-fibre’

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction)

• bhuja-janmanaḥ: of the arm-born (kṣatriya)
• bhuja-janmanaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhuja (प्रातिपदिक) + janman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: ‘one born from the arm’ (i.e., kṣatriya)

• bhavet: should be
• bhavet: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (भू)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• trivṛt-samāślakṣṇā: three-stranded and evenly smooth
• trivṛt-samāślakṣṇā: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri (संख्या) + vṛt (प्रातिपदिक) + samāślakṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय: ‘trivṛt’ (three-stranded) + ‘samāślakṣṇā’ (even and smooth)

• viśastā: prescribed; approved
• viśastā: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viśasta (कृदन्त; √śas (शस्) क्त, with vi-)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त: ‘commended/prescribed’

• tu: indeed; but
• tu: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle): contrast/emphasis ‘but/indeed’

• śaṇa-tāṃtavī: made of hemp threads
• śaṇa-tāṃtavī: Karta (Qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + tāṃtavī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: ‘made of śaṇa-threads’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (frame; not explicit)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dvija initiate being vested with mekhalā and simple garments; an ācārya ties a threefold-twisted girdle, while textiles (linen/flax/wool) are displayed in order.

Characters & Entities

• Dvija
• Muñja
• Maurvī
• Vaiśya
• Kṣatriya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Outer discipline supports inner discipline—saṃskāra marks remind the seeker of vows and self-control.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This is a dharma instruction within Kāśī Khaṇḍa rather than a direct description of a tirtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Materials and construction of the mekhalā and appropriate clothing fibres are prescribed for the initiated.