Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 100

Devanagari script

तमालनीलसुग्रीवः स्फुरत्फणिविभूषणः । वामार्धविलसच्छक्तिर्नागयज्ञोपवीतवान्

Transliteration

tamālanīlasugrīvaḥ sphuratphaṇivibhūṣaṇaḥ | vāmārdhavilasacchaktirnāgayajñopavītavān

Translation

ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦਾ ਕੰਠ ਤਮਾਲ ਵਾਂਗ ਨੀਲਾ-ਕਾਲਾ ਸੀ; ਚਮਕਦੇ ਸੱਪਾਂ ਦੇ ਅਲੰਕਾਰਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਉਹ ਦਿਪਦੇ ਸਨ; ਵਾਮ ਅਰਧ ਵਿੱਚ ਸ਼ਕਤੀ ਦੀ ਲੀਲਾ ਸੀ, ਅਤੇ ਸੱਪ ਨੂੰ ਯਜ੍ਞੋਪਵੀਤ (ਜਨੇਊ) ਵਾਂਗ ਧਾਰਨ ਕੀਤਾ ਹੋਇਆ ਸੀ।

Word by Word

• तमालनीलसुग्रीवः: having a tamāla-dark blue neck
• तमालनीलसुग्रीवः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of Śiva)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तमाल + नील + सुग्रीव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः: ‘तमाल-नीलः सुग्रीवः यस्य’ (dark-blue neck/throat like tamāla)

• स्फुरत्फणिविभूषणः: adorned with flashing serpents
• स्फुरत्फणिविभूषणः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of Śiva)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्फुरत् (कृदन्त) + फणि + विभूषण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘स्फुरद्भिः फणिभिः विभूषणं यस्य’ (ornamented with flashing serpents/hoods)

• वामार्धविलसच्छक्तिः: having Śakti shining on the left half
• वामार्धविलसच्छक्तिः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of Śiva)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वाम + अर्ध + विलसत् (कृदन्त) + शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘वामार्धे विलसन्ती शक्ति: यस्य’ (power/Śakti shining on the left half)

• नागयज्ञोपवीतवान्: wearing a serpent as the sacred thread
• नागयज्ञोपवीतवान्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of Śiva)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नाग + यज्ञोपवीत + वत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; वत्-प्रत्ययान्त: ‘नागः यज्ञोपवीतं यस्य’ (serpent as sacred thread)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa context, typically Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Close iconographic detailing: Śiva’s throat deep blue like tamāla, serpents as ornaments and sacred thread, and a luminous Śakti presence on the left half—suggesting Ardhanārīśvara resonance within a standing Śiva epiphany.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Śakti
• Nāga (serpent)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Lord of Kāśī is the union of transcendence and power—Śiva adorned with serpents and inseparable from Śakti.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the implied sacred setting; the verse focuses on the form of Trilocana/Śiva encountered there.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a descriptive (stuti-like) portrayal of Śiva’s divine form.