Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 26
Devanagari script
कन्यारूपधराकाचिद्याभुक्ता केनचित्क्वचित् । देवरूपेण तं कालमारभ्य ब्रह्मचारिणी
Transliteration
kanyārūpadharākācidyābhuktā kenacitkvacit | devarūpeṇa taṃ kālamārabhya brahmacāriṇī
Translation
काचिद् कन्यारूपधरा क्वचित् केनचित् भुक्ता; तं कालम् आरभ्य देवरूपेण जातत्वात् सा ब्रह्मचारिणी बभूव।
Word by Word
कन्यारूपधराbearing the form of a maiden
कन्यारूपधरा:
Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootकन्यारूप (प्रातिपदिक) + धर (कृदन्त; √धृ धारणे)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक 'धर' — Feminine, Nominative singular
काचित्some (woman)
काचित्:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootक (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative singular (indefinite pronoun)
याwho
या:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootयद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative singular (relative pronoun)
भुक्ताwas enjoyed/consumed (i.e., sexually used)
भुक्ता:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeVerb
Root√भुज् (भुज पालन/भोगे)
Formकृदन्त: क्त (past passive participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — PPP, Feminine, Nominative singular
केनचित्by someone
केनचित्:
Karana (Instrument/Agent in passive/करण)
TypeNoun
Rootक (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; अनिश्चित-प्रयोग — Instrumental singular: 'by someone'
क्वचित्somewhere/sometime
क्वचित्:
Adhikarana (Circumstance/अधिकरण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootक्वचित् (अव्यय)
Formकाल/देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: at some time/place)
देवरूपेणin the form of a god
देवरूपेण:
Karana (Instrument/करण)
TypeNoun
Rootदेवरूप (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन — Neuter, Instrumental singular; समास: देव + रूप
तम्that
तम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative singular
कालम्time/period
कालम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootकाल (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative singular
आरभ्यstarting from
आरभ्य:
Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
TypeIndeclinable
Root√रभ् (रभ् आरम्भे)
Formक्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund) — having begun/starting from
ब्रह्मचारिणीa celibate woman; one observing brahmacarya
ब्रह्मचारिणी:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootब्रह्मचारिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative singular
Speaker
Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration to Agastya)
Characters & Entities
D
Deva (devarūpa)K
Kanyā-rūpa (maiden-form)FAQs
Past experiences can become a turning point toward dharmic restraint; brahmacarya is shown as a deliberate vow taken after a decisive event.
The verse is within Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī-māhātmya setting, but no distinct tīrtha is named in this line.
The practice implied is brahmacarya (continence), treated as a sustained vow rather than a one-time ritual.