Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 110

Devanagari script

गोक्षीरवर्णविशदे सुस्निग्धे कृष्णपक्ष्मणी । उन्नताक्षी न दीर्घायुर्वृत्ताक्षी कुलटा भवेत्

Transliteration

gokṣīravarṇaviśade susnigdhe kṛṣṇapakṣmaṇī | unnatākṣī na dīrghāyurvṛttākṣī kulaṭā bhavet

Translation

പശുപാലിന്റെ നിറംപോലെ വിശുദ്ധവും തെളിഞ്ഞതുമായ, അതിമിനുക്കുള്ളതും കറുത്ത കൺമിഴിപ്പുകളുള്ളതുമായ കണ്ണുകൾ പ്രശംസിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു. എന്നാൽ അതിയായി പുറംതള്ളിയ കണ്ണുള്ളവൾ ദീർഘായുസ്സുള്ളവളല്ല; അതിവൃത്ത കണ്ണുള്ളവൾ കുലടയാകുമെന്നു പറയുന്നു.

Word by Word

• गोक्षीर-वर्ण-विशदे: in (eyes) clear with cow-milk color
• गोक्षीर-वर्ण-विशदे: Adhikaraṇa (Locative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गोक्षीर (प्रातिपदिक) + वर्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + विशद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (7th/Locative), एकवचनम्; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः; विशेषणम् (in/with clear cow-milk color)

• सु-स्निग्धे: very smooth/glossy
• सु-स्निग्धे: Adhikaraṇa (Locative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + स्निग्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचनम्; उपपद-समासवत्/कर्मधारयः; विशेषणम्

• कृष्ण-पक्ष्मणी: having black eyelashes
• कृष्ण-पक्ष्मणी: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + पक्ष्मन्/पक्ष्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचनम्; कर्मधारय-समासः; विशेषणम्

• उन्नत-अक्षी: one with prominent eyes
• उन्नत-अक्षी: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उन्नत (प्रातिपदिक) + अक्षि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचनम्; कर्मधारयः; विशेषणम्

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-बोधक-अव्ययम् (negation particle)

• दीर्घ-आयुः: long life
• दीर्घ-आयुः: Karta (Predicate nominative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दीर्घ (प्रातिपदिक) + आयुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचनम्; कर्मधारयः; (predicate)

• वृत्त-अक्षी: one with round eyes
• वृत्त-अक्षी: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वृत्त (प्रातिपदिक) + अक्षि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचनम्; कर्मधारयः; विशेषणम्

• कुलटा: an unchaste woman
• कुलटा: Karta (Predicate complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुलटा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचनम्

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda instructing Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Portrait-like emphasis: clear milk-hued eyes with black lashes are praised; then a caution about protruding or overly round eyes—rendered subtly as ‘excess’ vs ‘harmony’.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (context)
• Skanda (context)
• Agastya (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It conveys a traditional mapping of bodily features to destiny and conduct, emphasizing auspicious clarity and warning against perceived inauspicious extremes.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha appears in the verse; it belongs to the Kāśīkhaṇḍa context associated with Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a lakṣaṇa classification.