Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

तस्य वालधिमध्यास्य कृष्णकुंतलतां गताः । तथा तदंगलोमानि विधत्तविषसीत्कृतैः

Transliteration

tasya vāladhimadhyāsya kṛṣṇakuṃtalatāṃ gatāḥ | tathā tadaṃgalomāni vidhattaviṣasītkṛtaiḥ

Translation

അതിന്റെയ വാലിന്റെ മദ്ധ്യഭാഗം പിടിച്ചുനിന്ന് നിങ്ങൾ കറുത്ത കേശലതകളെപ്പോലെ ആകുക; കൂടാതെ നിങ്ങളുടെ വിഷമയ ഫുസ്ഫുസധ്വനിയാൽ അതിന്റെ ദേഹരോമങ്ങളും അങ്ങനെ ക്രമപ്പെടുത്തുക।

Word by Word

• तस्य: of him/its
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• वालधि-मध्य-अस्य: of (the one) whose tail’s middle (is ...)
• वालधि-मध्य-अस्य: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वालधि (प्रातिपदिक) + मध्य (प्रातिपदिक) + अस्य (तद्-षष्ठी एकवचन)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: ‘वालधिमध्यस्य’ = ‘whose middle of tail’), पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• कृष्ण-कुंतल-ताम्: black-hairedness; black tress-like state
• कृष्ण-कुंतल-ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + कुंतल (प्रातिपदिक) + ता (तद्धित-प्रत्ययः, भाववाचक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समासः (‘कृष्णाः कुंतलाः’), स्त्रीलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; भाववाचक-संज्ञा

• गताः: became; attained
• गताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु) → गत (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त-भूतकर्मणि/भूतकाले कृदन्तः; पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; (अत्र) ‘प्राप्ताः/अभवन्’ इत्यर्थे

• तथा: likewise; so
• तथा: Avyaya (Adverbial/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of manner)

• तद्-अङ्ग-लोमानि: the hairs of its body
• तद्-अङ्ग-लोमानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + अङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + लोमन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: ‘तदङ्गलोमानि’ = ‘its body-hairs’), नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• विधत्त: (you) arrange/make
• विधत्त: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धा (धातु) + वि (उपसर्ग) → विधत्त (लोट्/आज्ञार्थे)
• Form: लोट्-लकारः (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुषः (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• विष-सीत्-कृतैः: by those made pale by poison
• विष-सीत्-कृतैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विष (प्रातिपदिक) + सीत् (धातु/भाव: ‘श्वेत/सीत’ इत्यर्थे) + कृत (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः (कृत-प्रत्ययान्त-समासः: ‘विषेण सीत्कृत’ = ‘made pale/whitish by poison’), पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; करणवाचक-विशेषणम्

Speaker

Kadrū

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A celestial white horse (Uccaiḥśravas) stands radiant; nāgas cling to the mid-tail, their bodies forming black hair-like strands; other serpents hiss, spreading dark ‘body-hair’ illusion—an act of forced deception.

Characters & Entities

• Kadrū
• Nāgas (Kādraveyas)
• Uccaiḥśravas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It illustrates how collective participation in wrongdoing spreads impurity and leads to karmic bondage.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None directly; the passage is part of the Kāśī-khaṇḍa narrative tapestry.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it describes a deceptive act using nāga attributes (venom and hissing).