Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 64

Devanagari script

महामाणिक्यनिचय रोचिःखचितविग्रहाम् । त्रैलोक्यरम्यनगरी सुप्रकाशप्रदीपिकाम्

Transliteration

mahāmāṇikyanicaya rociḥkhacitavigrahām | trailokyaramyanagarī suprakāśapradīpikām

Translation

അവളുടെ ദേഹം മഹാമാണിക്യക്കൂട്ടങ്ങളുടെ കാന്തിയാൽ ഖചിതമായിരുന്നു. ത്രിലോക്യത്തെ മോഹിപ്പിക്കുന്ന നഗരിക്ക് അവൾ അതിപ്രകാശമുള്ള ദീപികപോലെ തിളങ്ങി.

Word by Word

• महामाणिक्यनिचय: a great heap of rubies/gems
• महामाणिक्यनिचय: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महान् (प्रातिपदिक) + माणिक्य (प्रातिपदिक) + निचय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणार्थे नाम (nom. sg., appositional epithet)

• रोचिः: splendor, radiance
• रोचिः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रोचिस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासाङ्गम् (nom. sg.)

• खचितविग्रहाम्: whose body/form is inlaid (with radiance/gems)
• खचितविग्रहाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: खचित (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त-क्त from √खच्) + विग्रह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (fem. acc. sg.; ‘whose form is inlaid’)

• त्रैलोक्यरम्यनगरी: the city delightful to the three worlds
• त्रैलोक्यरम्यनगरी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रैलोक्य (प्रातिपदिक) + रम्य (प्रातिपदिक) + नगरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणार्थे नाम (nom. sg.)

• सुप्रकाशप्रदीपिकाम्: a very bright lamp/illuminator
• सुप्रकाशप्रदीपिकाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + प्रकाश (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रदीपिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेष्य (fem. acc. sg.)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa context, often Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The deity’s body gleams as if set with countless large rubies; the surrounding sacred city appears like a nightscape lit by a single supreme lamp—her radiance making the whole scene vivid.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (implied by section context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine radiance symbolizes spiritual illumination—guiding beings across the three worlds toward dharma and liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is evoked through the image of the ‘city pleasing to the three worlds,’ a hallmark of Kāśī-māhātmya narration.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse.