Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

स काशिराजतनयामुपयेमे वराननाम् । कांतां कलावतीं नाम रूपशीलगुणान्विताम्

Transliteration

sa kāśirājatanayāmupayeme varānanām | kāṃtāṃ kalāvatīṃ nāma rūpaśīlaguṇānvitām

Translation

Baginda mengahwini puteri Raja Kāśī yang berwajah jelita lagi berseri, bernama Kalāvatī, yang lengkap dengan kecantikan, budi pekerti dan segala kebajikan.

Word by Word

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• kāśī-rāja-tanayām: the daughter of the king of Kāśī
• kāśī-rāja-tanayām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśī (प्रातिपदिक) + rāja (प्रातिपदिक) + tanayā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः

• upayeme: married/wedded
• upayeme: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upa-√yam (यम्)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष? actually 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• vara-ānanām: beautiful-faced
• vara-ānanām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vara (प्रातिपदिक) + ānanā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• kāntām: lovely
• kāntām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kāntā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• kalāvatīm: Kalāvatī
• kalāvatīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kalāvatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; व्यक्तिनाम

• nāma: by name
• nāma: Sambandha (Apposition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāma (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; नाम-निर्देशक (indeclinable marker ‘named’)

• rūpa-śīla-guṇa-anvitām: endowed with beauty, conduct, and virtues
• rūpa-śīla-guṇa-anvitām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rūpa (प्रातिपदिक) + śīla (प्रातिपदिक) + guṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + anvita (कृदन्त; √i/इ with anu, क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्तः; विशेषण

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator; exact speaker not explicit in excerpt)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A wedding scene: the king and the Kāśī princess Kalāvatī under a canopy, garlands exchanged, sacred fire present; Kāśī’s riverine aura hinted through lotus and ghats motifs.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Marriage in Purāṇic Dharma is portrayed as a dhārmic union grounded in virtues (śīla, guṇa), not merely attraction.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) is mentioned as the royal lineage source, though no specific tīrtha is praised in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed; the verse narrates a marriage alliance.