Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 96
Devanagari script
नानारूपधराः सर्वे नानाशस्त्रास्त्र पाणयः । तदाकारैश्च तद्भृत्यैः कोटिशः परिवारिताः
Transliteration
nānārūpadharāḥ sarve nānāśastrāstra pāṇayaḥ | tadākāraiśca tadbhṛtyaiḥ koṭiśaḥ parivāritāḥ
Translation
അവർ എല്ലാവരും നാനാരൂപങ്ങൾ ധരിച്ചു, നാനാശസ്ത്രാസ്ത്രങ്ങൾ കൈകളിൽ വഹിക്കുന്നു; അതേ രൂപമുള്ള കോടിക്കണക്കിന് അനുചരന്മാർ ചുറ്റിപ്പറ്റി നില്ക്കുന്നു।
Word by Word
नानारूपधराःassuming various forms
नानारूपधराः:
Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootनाना-रूप-धर (प्रातिपदिक; नाना + रूप + धर)
Formपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (नानारूपाणि धरन्ति ये)
सर्वेall
सर्वे:
Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootसर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचन
नानाvarious
नाना:
Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण-भावेन)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootनाना (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; विविधार्थक (various)
शस्त्रास्त्रweapons and missiles
शस्त्रास्त्र:
Visheshya (Head of compound qualifier)
TypeNoun
Rootशस्त्र-अस्त्र (प्रातिपदिक; शस्त्र + अस्त्र)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन (समाहार-द्वन्द्वः: weapons and missiles as a set)
पाणयःhands (as bearers)
पाणयः:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootपाणि (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचन; बहुव्रीह्यर्थे विशेषणवत् (पाणयः=हस्ताः)
तदाकारैःby those forms
तदाकारैः:
Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
TypeNoun
Rootतद्-आकार (प्रातिपदिक; तद् + आकार)
Formपुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया; बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (तेषां आकारैः)
चand
च:
Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootच (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक
तद्भृत्यैःby their attendants
तद्भृत्यैः:
Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
TypeNoun
Rootतद्-भृत्य (प्रातिपदिक; तद् + भृत्य)
Formपुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया; बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (तेषां भृत्यैः)
कोटिशःin crores
कोटिशः:
Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootकोटि (प्रातिपदिक)
Formअव्यय; परिमाणवाचक (distributive adverb: by crores/in millions)
परिवारिताःsurrounded/attended
परिवारिताः:
Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicative adjective/समनाधिकरण)
TypeAdjective
Rootपरि-√वृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
Formक्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचन
Speaker
Skanda
Tirtha Mahatmya
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Visual Art Cues
Scene: A vast, swirling host of attendants—millions—each bearing weapons and shifting forms, surrounding the principal guardians like concentric waves; Kāśī appears at the center as an unassailable luminous core.
Characters & Entities
K
KāśīB
Bhairava (context)V
Vetāla (context)FAQs
The sacred field is shown as spiritually fortified—evil is checked by an overwhelming divine guard.
Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) as a protected kṣetra.
No explicit ritual instruction appears in this verse.