Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 56

Devanagari script

महासिद्ध्यष्टकस्यापि क्रीडाभवनमद्भुतम् । जितकल्पदुमवनां वनैः सर्वफलावनैः

Transliteration

mahāsiddhyaṣṭakasyāpi krīḍābhavanamadbhutam | jitakalpadumavanāṃ vanaiḥ sarvaphalāvanaiḥ

Translation

அங்கே அஷ்ட மகாசித்திகளுக்கே உரிய அதிசயமான விளையாட்டு மாளிகையும் இருந்தது; கற்பவிருட்சத் தோட்டங்களையும் மிஞ்சும், எல்லாவகை கனிகளையும் தரும் வனங்களும் இருந்தன।

Word by Word

• महासिद्ध्यष्टकस्य: of the set of eight great siddhis
• महासिद्ध्यष्टकस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महासिद्धि (प्रातिपदिक) + अष्टक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (महासिद्धीनाम् अष्टकम्)

• अपि: also/even
• अपि: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अपि-अर्थे ‘also/even’

• क्रीडाभवनम्: a play-house; pleasure-palace
• क्रीडाभवनम्: Karta/Subject (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रीडा (प्रातिपदिक) + भवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (क्रीडायाः भवनम्)

• अद्भुतम्: wonderful
• अद्भुतम्: Predicate adjective (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अद्भुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (क्रीडाभवनस्य)

• जितकल्पदुमवनाम्: (with) groves surpassing wish-fulfilling-tree forests
• जितकल्पदुमवनाम्: Visheshana (qualifier of ‘वनैः’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जित (कृदन्त; √जि जये, क्त) + कल्पदुम (प्रातिपदिक) + वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन; समासः—बहुव्रीहि (यासां वनेषु कल्पदुमवनानि जितानि/अतिशयितानि)

• वनैः: with forests/groves
• वनैः: Karana/Instrument (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन

• सर्वफलावनैः: bearing/providing all fruits
• सर्वफलावनैः: Visheshana (qualifier of ‘वनैः’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक) + अवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष/कर्मधारय-प्राय (सर्वफलानाम् अवनम्/समृद्धिः येषु)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A celestial pleasure-grove within Kāśī: forests laden with every fruit, surpassing kalpavṛkṣa groves; subtle presence of aṣṭa-siddhis as luminous feminine personifications hovering like guardians of the garden.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Aṣṭa-siddhi (eight great powers)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In a supreme kṣetra like Kāśī, even supernatural attainments are secondary; the place itself is portrayed as the source of higher fulfillment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī, envisioned as containing celestial-like abodes and miraculous sacred groves.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse highlights the extraordinary, merit-filled environment of the kṣetra.