Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

सामोदमोदकभरैर्वरधूपदीपैर्माल्यैः सुगंधबहुलैरनुलेपनैश्च । संप्रीण्यकाशिनगरीफलदानदक्षं प्रोक्त्वाथ मां क इह सिध्यति नैव ढुंढे

Transliteration

sāmodamodakabharairvaradhūpadīpairmālyaiḥ sugaṃdhabahulairanulepanaiśca | saṃprīṇyakāśinagarīphaladānadakṣaṃ proktvātha māṃ ka iha sidhyati naiva ḍhuṃḍhe

Translation

മധുര മോദകങ്ങളുടെ കൂമ്പാരങ്ങൾ, ശ്രേഷ്ഠ ധൂപദീപങ്ങൾ, മാലകൾ, സുഗന്ധസമൃദ്ധമായ അനുലേപനങ്ങൾ എന്നിവകൊണ്ട് കാശീനഗരിയെ സന്തോഷിപ്പിച്ച്, അവൾ ഫലദാനത്തിൽ പരമസമർത്ഥയാണെന്ന് ഞാൻ പ്രസ്താവിച്ചു. പിന്നെ ഇവിടെ മറ്റെന്ത് സിദ്ധി ആരാണ് തേടുക? ഞാൻ മറ്റൊന്നും അന്വേഷിക്കുന്നില്ല.

Word by Word

• sa-āmōda-modaka-bharaiḥ: with heaps of fragrant sweet-balls
• sa-āmōda-modaka-bharaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sa (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + āmoda (प्रातिपदिक) + modaka (प्रातिपदिक) + bhara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (आमोदयुक्त-मोदकानां भरैः)

• vara-dhūpa-dīpaiḥ: with excellent incense and lamps
• vara-dhūpa-dīpaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vara (प्रातिपदिक) + dhūpa (प्रातिपदिक) + dīpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन; समासः—द्वन्द्वः (धूप-दीपैः), ‘vara’ विशेषणपूर्वपद

• mālyaiḥ: with garlands
• mālyaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mālya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन

• sugandha-bahulaiḥ: abounding in fragrance
• sugandha-bahulaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su-gandha (प्रातिपदिक) + bahula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (माल्यैः/अनुलेपनैः इत्यादीनाम्)

• anulepanaiḥ: with unguents/anointments
• anulepanaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anulepana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha/Connector
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• saṃprīṇya: having pleased
• saṃprīṇya: Purvakala (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam + prī (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund); ‘सम्+प्री’—तोषयित्वा/प्रसाद्य

• kāśī-nagarī-phala-dāna-dakṣam: the one skilled in granting the fruit of (residing in) Kāśī-city
• kāśī-nagarī-phala-dāna-dakṣam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kāśī (प्रातिपदिक) + nagarī (प्रातिपदिक) + phala (प्रातिपदिक) + dāna (प्रातिपदिक) + dakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (काशीनगर्याः फलदानदक्षम्)

• proktvā: having said/declared
• proktvā: Purvakala (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + vac (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund); ‘प्र+वच्’—उक्त्वा

• atha: then
• atha: Discourse marker
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरबोधक-अव्यय (then/now)

• mām: me
• mām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन

• kaḥ: who
• kaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक-सर्वनाम

• iha: here
• iha: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (here)

• sidhyati: succeeds/attains fulfillment
• sidhyati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sidh (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• na: not
• na: Negation
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation)

• eva: indeed/at all
• eva: Emphasis
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphasis)

• ḍhuṃḍhe: O Ḍhuṃḍhi (Vināyaka)
• ḍhuṃḍhe: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ḍhuṃḍhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Kāśīkhaṇḍa context: Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (as kṣetra itself)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage-inquirer (typically a ṛṣi such as Agastya in Kāśīkhaṇḍa frames; exact interlocutor not specified in the verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee in Kāśī offers heaps of modakas, incense, lamps, garlands, and fragrant unguents before a sanctified cityscape—ghats, temples, and the luminous presence of the kṣetra personified as a boon-giver.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Kāśīnagarī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is portrayed as intrinsically capable of granting spiritual fruits; once she is sincerely pleased through worship, seeking other siddhis elsewhere becomes unnecessary.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī-nagarī (Vārāṇasī), the celebrated sacred city in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, is directly praised as a giver of results (phaladā).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offerings and worship-items are listed: modakas (sweet offerings), incense (dhūpa), lamps (dīpa), garlands (mālya), and fragrant unguents (anulepana) used to propitiate Kāśī.