Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

गंधपुष्पांशुकैः शोणैः स्वां तनुं भूषितां नरः । यः पश्येत्स्वप्नसमये सोऽष्टौ मासाननित्यहो

Transliteration

gaṃdhapuṣpāṃśukaiḥ śoṇaiḥ svāṃ tanuṃ bhūṣitāṃ naraḥ | yaḥ paśyetsvapnasamaye so'ṣṭau māsānanityaho

Translation

സ്വപ്നസമയത്ത് ഒരാൾ തന്റെ ശരീരം ചുവന്ന സുഗന്ധദ്രവ്യങ്ങൾ, പുഷ്പങ്ങൾ, വസ്ത്രങ്ങൾ എന്നിവകൊണ്ട് അലങ്കരിച്ചതായി കണ്ടാൽ—അയ്യോ, അവൻ അനിത്യൻ; (ഇനിയും) എട്ട് മാസം മാത്രം ശേഷിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• गंधपुष्पांशुकैः: with perfumes, flowers, and garments
• गंधपुष्पांशुकैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गन्ध (प्रातिपदिक) + पुष्प (प्रातिपदिक) + अंशुक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः (collective), तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचनम्; द्वन्द्व-समासः (गन्ध+पुष्प+अंशुक)

• शोणैः: red
• शोणैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शोण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक-सम्भवः; तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचनम्; विशेषणम् (qualifying the instruments)

• स्वाम्: one's own
• स्वाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (तनुम्)

• तनुम्: body
• तनुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचनम्

• भूषिताम्: adorned
• भूषिताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भूष् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past Passive Participle), स्त्रीलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (तनुम्)

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचनम्

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; सम्बन्धक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• पश्येत्: should see
• पश्येत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु; पश्य-आदेश)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्

• स्वप्नसमये: at the time of a dream
• स्वप्नसमये: Adhikarana (Time/काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वप्न (प्रातिपदिक) + समय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (स्वप्नस्य समयः)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्

• अष्टौ: eight
• अष्टौ: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्टन् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक-विशेषणम्; पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया बहुवचनरूपम् (māsān)

• मासान्: months
• मासान्: Karma (Extent/परिमाण-कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), बहुवचनम्

• अनित्यहः: having impermanent days / short-lived
• अनित्यहः: Visheshana (Qualifier of सः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनित्य (प्रातिपदिक) + अहन्/अहः (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; कर्मधारयः (अनित्यं अहः यस्य/अनित्यः अहः)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dream-vision of the dreamer seeing his own body richly adorned with red garments, red flowers, and red unguents—yet the background subtly suggests a funeral/cremation liminality, making the red read as both celebration and blood-omen.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Adornment and pleasure are fleeting; recognize impermanence and turn to lasting spiritual merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction is embedded in Kāśī-khaṇḍa’s sacred narrative setting (Kāśī), which repeatedly emphasizes liberation over ornamentation.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse interprets a dream-image as a time-bound omen.