Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

हरित श्वेत मांजिष्ठ नील पीत बहुप्रभाः । प्रत्यंगणं शुभाकारा रंगमालाश्चकाशिरे

Transliteration

harita śveta māṃjiṣṭha nīla pīta bahuprabhāḥ | pratyaṃgaṇaṃ śubhākārā raṃgamālāścakāśire

Translation

ഹരിതം, ശ്വേതം, മഞ്ജിഷ്ഠ-രക്തം, നീലം, പീതം മുതലായ അനേകം ദീപ്തവർണങ്ങളുള്ള ശുഭാകാര പുഷ്പമാലകൾ ഓരോ അങ്കണവും അന്തഃപ്രാകാരവും അലങ്കരിച്ച് പ്രകാശിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• हरित: green-colored
• हरित: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हरित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण (Masculine, Nominative, Plural; adjective)

• श्वेत: white
• श्वेत: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्वेत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण (Masculine, Nominative, Plural; adjective)

• मांजिष्ठ: madder-colored (reddish)
• मांजिष्ठ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मांजिष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण (Masculine, Nominative, Plural; adjective)

• नील: blue/dark
• नील: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नील (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण (Masculine, Nominative, Plural; adjective)

• पीत: yellow
• पीत: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पीत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण (Masculine, Nominative, Plural; adjective)

• बहुप्रभाः: of many splendors; very radiant
• बहुप्रभाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रभा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण; बहुप्रभ = बह्वी प्रभा यस्य/येषाम् (Masculine, Nominative, Plural; adjective; having much radiance)

• प्रति-अङ्गणम्: in each courtyard / courtyard by courtyard
• प्रति-अङ्गणम्: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अङ्गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (उपसर्ग/अव्ययीभावार्थे) ‘प्रति’ = each/every; ‘प्रति’ उपपदेन ‘अङ्गणम्’ प्रति—अर्थः (Avyaya usage: distributive ‘each’)

• शुभ-आकाराः: of auspicious appearance
• शुभ-आकाराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक) + आकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण; शुभाकार = शुभः आकारः (Masculine, Nominative, Plural; adjective; of auspicious form)

• रङ्ग-मालाः: garlands of colors / colored garlands
• रङ्ग-मालाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + माला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन (Feminine, Nominative, Plural)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• अकाशिरे: shone; appeared radiant
• अकाशिरे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: काश् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्शभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद (Liṭ, 3rd person, plural; Ātmanepada)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta-Kāśī (inner precincts)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A Kāśī courtyard and inner precincts draped with multi-colored garlands—green, white, madder-red, blue, yellow—glowing as if the very air is festive and sanctified.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Muktimaṇḍapa (implied precinct)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Auspicious beauty offered in sacred space becomes devotion made visible—turning the precinct into a sanctified field of merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), particularly the sacred precinct associated with the Muktimaṇḍapa celebration in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed; the verse highlights pūjā-style adornment (alaṅkāra) through garlands and auspicious decoration.