Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

चिंतितार्थप्रदा काचित्काचिज्ज्योतिः कलावती । इत्यादि वेषभाषाभिरनुकृत्य समंततः

Transliteration

ciṃtitārthapradā kācitkācijjyotiḥ kalāvatī | ityādi veṣabhāṣābhiranukṛtya samaṃtataḥ

Translation

ആ യോഗിനികളിൽ ചിലർ ‘ചിന്തിതാർത്ഥപ്രദാ’, ചിലർ ‘ജ്യോതി’, ചിലർ ‘കലാവതി’ എന്ന രൂപങ്ങളിൽ പ്രത്യക്ഷപ്പെട്ടു. നാനാവേഷങ്ങളും നാനാഭാഷാഭംഗികളും അനുകരിച്ച് അവർ നഗരമൊട്ടാകെ ചുറ്റി നടന്നു.

Word by Word

• चिन्तितार्थप्रदा: granting the desired objects
• चिन्तितार्थप्रदा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चिन्तित + अर्थ + प्रदा (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (fem. nom. sg.)

• काचित्: some (woman)
• काचित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; अनिश्चितवाचक सर्वनाम (indefinite pronoun)

• काचित्: some (other)
• काचित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; अनिश्चितवाचक सर्वनाम

• ज्योतिः: light; radiance
• ज्योतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्योतिस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (neut. nom. sg.)

• कलावती: possessing arts/skills
• कलावती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कला + वत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; गुणवाचक विशेषण (fem. nom. sg.)

• इत्यादि: thus etc.; and the like
• इत्यादि: Avyaya (Modifier/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति + आदि (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्ययीभावसमास; प्रकारवाचक (indecl. ‘and so on’)

• वेषभाषाभिः: by costumes and languages
• वेषभाषाभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेष + भाषा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; द्वन्द्वसमास (instrumental plural)

• अनुकृत्य: having imitated
• अनुकृत्य: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अनु + कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); अव्ययभाव (having imitated)

• समन्ततः: on all sides; everywhere
• समन्ततः: Desha-adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: समन्ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (indecl. adverb of place)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (typical frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ring of yoginīs in varied disguises—some luminous, some graceful, some boon-giving—circling lanes and ghāṭa-approaches of Kāśī, blending into crowds while their eyes gleam with otherworldly power.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Yoginīs

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is portrayed as a living sacred field where divine forces move unseen; spiritual reality is not limited to outward appearances.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), celebrated as a uniquely protected and spiritually charged city.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse focuses on the Yoginīs’ disguises and movement through the city.