Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 48

Devanagari script

कुमारीभिः कर्णिकारैरलाभेतच्छदैः सह । सुगंधिभिः प्रसूनोघैः सर्वालाभेपि पूजयेत्

Transliteration

kumārībhiḥ karṇikārairalābhetacchadaiḥ saha | sugaṃdhibhiḥ prasūnoghaiḥ sarvālābhepi pūjayet

Translation

കുമാരി-അർപ്പണങ്ങളോടുകൂടി കർണികാര പുഷ്പങ്ങളും അലാഭേത ഇലകളും സുഗന്ധപുഷ്പസമൂഹങ്ങളും കൊണ്ടു—മറ്റൊന്നും ലഭ്യമല്ലെങ്കിലും—ഇങ്ങനെ തന്നെ പൂജ ചെയ്യണം।

Word by Word

• कुमारीभिः: with maidens/virgin-girls (flowers named kumārī)
• कुमारीभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुमारी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), बहुवचन; Instrumental plural

• कर्णिकारैः: with karṇikāra flowers
• कर्णिकारैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्णिकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Instrumental plural

• अलाभे: in (the month of) Ālābha
• अलाभे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अलाभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Locative singular

• तत्: those
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular (qualifying छदैः as 'those')

• छदैः: with leaves
• छदैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: छद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Instrumental plural

• सह: together with
• सह: Sambandha (Association/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह (अव्यय)
• Form: उपसर्गसदृश-अव्यय; सहार्थक-निपात (with)

• सुगन्धिभिः: fragrant
• सुगन्धिभिः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुगन्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Instrumental plural (qualifying प्रसूनोघैः)

• प्रसूनोघैः: with heaps/masses of flowers
• प्रसूनोघैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रसून + ओघ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Instrumental plural; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (प्रसूनानाम् ओघाः)

• सर्वालाभे: in every Ālābha (time/occasion)
• सर्वालाभे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + अलाभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Locative singular; कर्मधारय (सर्वः अलाभः)

• अपि: also/even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात; समुच्चय/अपि-भाव (also/even)

• पूजयेत्: should worship
• पूजयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; should worship

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa typically Skanda instructing Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis/assembly of sages (generic)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee in Kāśī offers heaps of fragrant blossoms—golden karṇikāra flowers and simple leaves—before a Śiva-liṅga or Devī shrine, emphasizing humble abundance through fragrance rather than wealth.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Vighnajitā (Devī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincere devotion is primary; even minimal, locally available offerings can complete worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) is the overarching sacred setting of the Kāśīkhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pūjā using karṇikāra flowers, specified leaves, and fragrant flower-heaps, even in scarcity.