Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

शाकशंखवनैरम्यं चदनैरक्तचंदनैः । हरीतकीकर्णिकार धात्रीवनविभूषणम्

Transliteration

śākaśaṃkhavanairamyaṃ cadanairaktacaṃdanaiḥ | harītakīkarṇikāra dhātrīvanavibhūṣaṇam

Translation

சாக மற்றும் சங்க மரத் தோப்புகளால் அது இனிமையாய் விளங்கியது; சந்தனம், செங்கந்தனம் ஆகியவற்றால் அழகுபெற்றது. ஹரீதகீ, கர்ணிகார, தாத்ரீ வனங்களால் மேலும் அலங்கரிக்கப்பட்டு, மங்கள ஒளியால் புனிதத் தலம்போல் திகழ்ந்தது.

Word by Word

• śāka-śaṃkha-vanairamyam: charming with śāka- and śaṃkha-groves
• śāka-śaṃkha-vanairamyam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śāka (प्रातिपदिक) + śaṃkha (प्रातिपदिक) + vana (प्रातिपदिक) + ramya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (neuter, nom/acc sg; 'pleasant due to śāka- and śaṃkha-forests')

• candana-īḥ: with sandalwoods
• candana-īḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: candana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन (neuter, instrumental, plural)

• rakta-candanaiḥ: with red sandalwoods
• rakta-candanaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rakta (प्रातिपदिक) + candana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (neuter, instrumental plural; 'red sandalwood')

• harītakī-karṇikāra-dhātrī-vana-vibhūṣaṇam: an adornment of the grove with harītakī, karṇikāra and dhātrī trees
• harītakī-karṇikāra-dhātrī-vana-vibhūṣaṇam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: harītakī (प्रातिपदिक) + karṇikāra (प्रातिपदिक) + dhātrī (प्रातिपदिक) + vana (प्रातिपदिक) + vibhūṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (neuter, nom/acc sg; 'ornament of the forest with harītakī, karṇikāra, dhātrī')

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (ārāma/vanam within the kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A fragrant Kāśī woodland: pale sandalwood trunks and red sandal hues; harītakī and dhātrī trees with small fruits; karṇikāra blossoms; the grove appears like a deity’s ornamented mantle.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The holiness of Kāśī is mirrored in its auspicious vegetation, suggesting that sacred space shapes and sanctifies the natural world.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī as a whole—its groves are celebrated as signs of divine presence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse functions as māhātmya-style praise through landscape description.