Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

गोपीचंदननिर्यास लसदंगविलेपनः । तपसा कृशसर्वांगो मूर्तो ज्वलनवज्ज्वलन्

Transliteration

gopīcaṃdananiryāsa lasadaṃgavilepanaḥ | tapasā kṛśasarvāṃgo mūrto jvalanavajjvalan

Translation

അദ്ദേഹത്തിന്റെ അവയവങ്ങൾ ഗോപീചന്ദനം പൂശി ശോഭിച്ചിരുന്നു; തപസ്സുകൊണ്ട് മെലിഞ്ഞ ശരീരമാണെങ്കിലും, മൂർത്തീഭവിച്ച അഗ്നിയെപ്പോലെ അദ്ദേഹം ജ്വലിച്ചുനിന്നു.

Word by Word

• गोपीचन्दननिर्यास: gopī-candana paste/extract
• गोपीचन्दननिर्यास: Sambandha (Apposition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोपी (प्रातिपदिक) + चन्दन (प्रातिपदिक) + निर्यास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः (गोपीचन्दनस्य निर्यासः)

• लसदङ्गविलेपनः: whose body-anointing was shining
• लसदङ्गविलेपनः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लसत् (लस् धातु-कृदन्त, शतृ) + अङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + विलेपन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः (अङ्गेषु विलेपनं लसत् यस्य)

• तपसा: by austerity
• तपसा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः (करण), एकवचनम्

• कृशसर्वाङ्गः: thin in all limbs
• कृशसर्वाङ्गः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृश (प्रातिपदिक) + सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + अङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; बहुव्रीहिः (कृशानि सर्वाणि अङ्गानि यस्य)

• मूर्तः: embodied
• मूर्तः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मूर्त (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; ‘embodied/manifest’

• ज्वलनवत्: like fire
• ज्वलनवत्: Upamana (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ज्वलन (प्रातिपदिक) + वत् (मतुप्-तद्धित)
• Form: अव्ययवत्-प्रयोगः (उपमान-विशेषणम्), पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्; ‘like fire’

• ज्वलन्: blazing
• ज्वलन्: Karta (Agent as participle/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्वल् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमान-कृदन्तम् (present participle), पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्; ‘blazing’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Close view of Nārada: limbs gleaming with gopīcandana paste; body lean from austerity; an aura like flame surrounds him, suggesting tapas-tejas.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Gopīcandana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Austerity and devotion transform the practitioner—inner tapas becomes visible as spiritual radiance and purity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is praised in this verse; it characterizes Nārada as he moves through sacred geography within the Purāṇic narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, it references devotional anointing with gopī-candana, a Vaiṣṇava practice, but gives no formal injunction.