Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

गणावूचतुः । पुरा सिसृक्षतः सृष्टिं स्रष्टुरंगुष्ठपृष्ठतः । दक्षः प्रजाविनिर्माणे दक्षो जातः प्रजापतिः । षष्टिर्दुहितरस्तस्य तपोलावण्यभूषणाः । सर्वलावण्यरोहिण्यो रोहिणीप्रमुखाः शुभाः

Transliteration

gaṇāvūcatuḥ | purā sisṛkṣataḥ sṛṣṭiṃ sraṣṭuraṃguṣṭhapṛṣṭhataḥ | dakṣaḥ prajāvinirmāṇe dakṣo jātaḥ prajāpatiḥ | ṣaṣṭirduhitarastasya tapolāvaṇyabhūṣaṇāḥ | sarvalāvaṇyarohiṇyo rohiṇīpramukhāḥ śubhāḥ

Translation

గణులు పలికిరి—పూర్వకాలంలో స్రష్టా సృష్టిని సృష్టించదలచినప్పుడు, ఆయన బొటనవేలి వెనుకభాగం నుండి దక్షుడు ప్రాదుర్భవించాడు. ప్రజాసృష్టిలో నిపుణుడై దక్షప్రజాపతిగా ప్రసిద్ధుడయ్యాడు. అతనికి తపస్సు-లావణ్యాలతో అలంకృతమైన అరవై శుభకన్యలు ఉండిరి; సర్వలావణ్యంతో ప్రకాశించువారై, రోహిణీ ప్రధానముగా ఉండిరి।

Word by Word

• gaṇāḥ: the groups (gaṇas)
• gaṇāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• ūcatuḥ: said (the two said)
• ūcatuḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), द्विवचन

• purā: formerly, once
• purā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• sisṛkṣataḥ: (of him) wishing to create
• sisṛkṣataḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sṛj (धातु) + san (सन्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; इच्छार्थक-रूप (desiderative: 'wishing to create')

• sṛṣṭim: creation
• sṛṣṭim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sṛṣṭi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• sraṣṭuḥ: of the creator
• sraṣṭuḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sraṣṭṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• aṃguṣṭha-pṛṣṭhataḥ: from the back of the thumb
• aṃguṣṭha-pṛṣṭhataḥ: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: aṃguṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक) + pṛṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक) + -tas (तसिल्)
• Form: तसिलन्त-अव्यय (ablatival adverb: 'from'); समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (aṃguṣṭhasya pṛṣṭham)

• dakṣaḥ: Dakṣa
• dakṣaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• prajā-vinirmāṇe: in the creation of creatures
• prajā-vinirmāṇe: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prajā (प्रातिपदिक) + vinirmāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (prajānāṃ vinirmāṇe)

• dakṣaḥ: skilled, capable
• dakṣaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying dakṣaḥ)

• jātaḥ: was born, arose
• jātaḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• prajāpatiḥ: Prajāpati (lord of creatures)
• prajāpatiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prajā (प्रातिपदिक) + pati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (prajānāṃ patiḥ)

• ṣaṣṭiḥ: sixty
• ṣaṣṭiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṣaṣṭi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; संख्यावाचक

• duhitaraḥ: daughters
• duhitaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: duhitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• tasya: of him, his
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• tapo-lāvaṇya-bhūṣaṇāḥ: adorned with austerity and beauty
• tapo-lāvaṇya-bhūṣaṇāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक) + lāvaṇya (प्रातिपदिक) + bhūṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (determinative: 'having tapas and beauty as ornament')

• sarva-lāvaṇya-rohiṇyaḥ: possessing all beauty, radiant
• sarva-lāvaṇya-rohiṇyaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + lāvaṇya (प्रातिपदिक) + rohiṇī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-प्रायः (rohiṇyaḥ = 'those who grow/shine'; 'possessing all beauty')

• rohiṇī-pramukhāḥ: with Rohiṇī as the foremost
• rohiṇī-pramukhāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rohiṇī (प्रातिपदिक) + pramukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; समासः तत्पुरुष (rohiṇī pramukhā yāsām)

• śubhāḥ: auspicious
• śubhāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

Speaker

Gaṇas (Śiva’s attendants)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic tableau: the Creator (Brahmā) in meditation; from the back of his thumb arises Dakṣa, radiant and poised as Prajāpati; around him stand sixty luminous daughters, austere yet beautiful, Rohiṇī foremost.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṇas
• Brahmā (Creator)
• Dakṣa
• Prajāpati
• Rohiṇī
• Nakṣatras (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Cosmic order arises through divinely sanctioned creation, and austerity (tapas) is portrayed as an ornament that sanctifies even celestial lineages.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The wider passage belongs to the Kāśī-khaṇḍa (Kāśī-māhātmya), setting the stage for later verses that anchor the narrative in Kāśī’s sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed in this verse; it introduces the lineage and virtues (tapas) that lead to later Kāśī-centered worship and boons.