Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

कंदुकानुग सदृष्टि नर्तित भ्रूचलतांचला । मृडानी किल खेलंती ददृशे जगदंबिका

Transliteration

kaṃdukānuga sadṛṣṭi nartita bhrūcalatāṃcalā | mṛḍānī kila khelaṃtī dadṛśe jagadaṃbikā

Translation

ਗੇਂਦ ਦੇ ਪਿੱਛੇ ਨਿਗਾਹ ਦੌੜਦੀ, ਭੌਂਹਾਂ ਨੱਚਦੀਆਂ ਅਤੇ ਪਹਿਰਾਵੇ ਦੇ ਪੱਲੇ ਲਹਿਰਾਂਦੇ—ਮ੍ਰਿਡਾਣੀ, ਜਗਦੰਬਿਕਾ, ਨਿਸ਼ਚੇ ਹੀ ਖੇਡਦੀ ਹੋਈ ਦਿਸੀ।

Word by Word

• कन्दुक: ball
• कन्दुक: Samāsa-aṅga (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्दुक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक used in compound

• अनुग: following (it)
• अनुग: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनु + गम् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक (अनुग = following), स्त्रीलिङ्गे विशेषण-प्रयोग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (समासान्त)

• स: that
• स: Samāsa-aṅga (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, प्रातिपदिक used in compound

• दृष्टि: gaze, look
• दृष्टि: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दृष्टि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘सदृष्टि’ = “that gaze/intent gaze” (विशेषण-विशेष्यभाव)

• नर्तित: danced, made to dance
• नर्तित: Samāsa-aṅga (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नृत् (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), प्रातिपदिक used in compound; “made to dance/moved”

• भ्रू: eyebrow
• भ्रू: Samāsa-aṅga (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भ्रू (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक used in compound

• चलत्: moving
• चलत्: Samāsa-aṅga (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चल् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ), प्रातिपदिक used in compound; “moving”

• अञ्चला: (she) with moving garment-edge
• अञ्चला: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अञ्चला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘भ्रू-चलत्-अञ्चला’ = “she whose garment-end/edge moves with the eyebrows” (बहुव्रीहि, स्त्री)

• मृडानी: Mṛḍānī (Pārvatī)
• मृडानी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृडानी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• किल: indeed, it is said
• किल: Sambandha-bodhaka (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किल (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), emphasis/indeed

• खेलन्ती: playing
• खेलन्ती: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: खेल् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ) स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; “playing” (participial, finite-like)

• ददृशे: was seen, appeared
• ददृशे: Kriyā (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परिपूर्णभूत/Perfect), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• जगत्: world
• जगत्: Samāsa-aṅga (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक used in compound

• अम्बिका: Mother of the world
• अम्बिका: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अम्बिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘जगदम्बिका’ = “Mother of the world” (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The Goddess plays ball; her eyes track the ball, eyebrows animate like dance, garment-ends sway; she is explicitly recognized as Mṛḍānī/Jagadambikā—playful yet sovereign.

Characters & Entities

• Jagadambikā (Devī)
• Mṛḍānī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion is nourished by remembering Devī as both transcendent Mother and immanent presence—her līlā becomes a form of praise (stuti).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the implied sacred geography (Kāśīkhaṇḍa context), where the divine is celebrated as vividly present.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it functions as narrative description supporting the Mahātmya.