Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 84

Devanagari script

पद्मरागेंद्रनीलानां शालीनाः शालभंजिकाः । नीराजयंत्यहोरात्रं यत्र रजप्रदीपकैः

Transliteration

padmarāgeṃdranīlānāṃ śālīnāḥ śālabhaṃjikāḥ | nīrājayaṃtyahorātraṃ yatra rajapradīpakaiḥ

Translation

അവിടെ പദ്മരാഗവും ഇന്ദ്രനീലവും കൊണ്ടു നിർമ്മിതമായ ശോഭന ശാലഭഞ്ജികകൾ, ദീപ്തമായ ദീപങ്ങളാൽ അഹോരാത്രം നീരാജനം (ആരതി) ചെയ്യുന്നു.

Word by Word

• पद्मरागेन्द्रनीलानाम्: of rubies and sapphires
• पद्मरागेन्द्रनीलानाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद्मराग + इन्द्रनील (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Genitive), बहुवचन; द्वन्द्वः (copulative) = पद्मरागाः च इन्द्रनीलाः च

• शालीनाः: graceful/elegant
• शालीनाः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शालीन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• शालभञ्जिकाः: (female) bracket-figures/ornamental statues
• शालभञ्जिकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शालभञ्जिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन

• नीराजयन्ति: they illumine/wave lights
• नीराजयन्ति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नीराजय् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• अहोरात्रम्: day and night
• अहोरात्रम्: Kala-adhikarana (Time-accusative/काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहः + रात्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन; द्वन्द्वसमासः (day and night)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (स्थानवाचक)

• रजप्रदीपकैः: with lamps (rajapradīpaka)
• रजप्रदीपकैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रज + प्रदीपक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः = ‘रजसा/रजः-सम्बद्धः प्रदीपकः’ (lamp made of/connected with silver-dust/metallic)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (assumed frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Jeweled śālabhañjikā maidens carved in ruby and sapphire stand as living sculptures, waving bright lamps in continuous ārati, day and night, within a radiant hall.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Avimukta)
• Padmarāga (ruby)
• Indranīla (sapphire)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Perpetual worship is portrayed as natural in Kāśī—devotion continues unbroken, mirroring the uninterrupted grace of Śiva’s kṣetra.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Avimukta-Kāśī, depicted as a place of ceaseless reverence and divine ornamentation.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, nīrājana/ārati is praised (continuous worship), though no direct instruction is given.