Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 89

Devanagari script

यत्र पातालतलतो नागानां कोशवेश्मतः । गणैर्मणिगणाः सर्वे समाहृत्य गिरीकृताः

Transliteration

yatra pātālatalato nāgānāṃ kośaveśmataḥ | gaṇairmaṇigaṇāḥ sarve samāhṛtya girīkṛtāḥ

Translation

അവിടെ പാതാളതലത്തിലെ നാഗന്മാരുടെ കോശഗൃഹങ്ങളിൽ നിന്ന് ഗണങ്ങൾ എല്ലാ തരത്തിലുള്ള മണികളെയും ശേഖരിച്ചു പർവ്വതംപോലെ കൂമ്പാരങ്ങളാക്കി।

Word by Word

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (where)

• pātāla: of the netherworld
• pātāla: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: pātāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, षष्ठी, एकवचन; समासपूर्वपद-रूपेण

• talataḥ: from the ground/level
• talataḥ: Apādāna
• Type: Noun
• Root: tala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, पञ्चमी, एकवचन; अपादानम् (from the surface/level)

• nāgānām: of the Nāgas (serpents)
• nāgānām: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी, बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध

• kośa: treasury/store
• kośa: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: kośa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी, एकवचन; समासपूर्वपद-रूपेण

• veśmataḥ: from the mansion
• veśmataḥ: Apādāna
• Type: Noun
• Root: veśman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, पञ्चमी, एकवचन; अपादानम् (from the house/mansion)

• gaṇaiḥ: by the gaṇas
• gaṇaiḥ: Karaṇa (Agent-instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया, बहुवचन; करणम्/कर्तृसाधनम् (by the groups)

• maṇi: of gems
• maṇi: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: maṇi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी, एकवचन; समासपूर्वपद-रूपेण

• gaṇāḥ: masses/groups
• gaṇāḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• sarve: all
• sarve: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषणम्

• samāhṛtya: having gathered
• samāhṛtya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sam-ā-√hṛ (धातु) + ल्यप्
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund): having collected/brought

• girīkṛtāḥ: made into heaps like mountains
• girīkṛtāḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa/Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: girī (प्रातिपदिक) + √kṛ (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; girī-kṛta = made into mountains/heaps

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: From cavernous Pātāla vaults guarded by Nāgas, gaṇas retrieve radiant mani-gems and stack them into mountain-like masses in Kāśī, visually linking underworld darkness to sacred brilliance.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Avimukta)
• Pātāla
• Nāgas
• Gaṇas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

All realms—even the underworld—are depicted as serving Kāśī, underscoring its unrivaled status as Śiva’s liberating city.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Avimukta-Kāśī, portrayed as drawing offerings from Pātāla and the Nāgas’ treasuries.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.