Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

तपोबलेन महता विहिता विश्वकमर्णा । दिवापि कौमुदी यस्याः सौधश्रेणीश्रियं श्रयेत्

Transliteration

tapobalena mahatā vihitā viśvakamarṇā | divāpi kaumudī yasyāḥ saudhaśreṇīśriyaṃ śrayet

Translation

วิศวกรรมันเนรมิตด้วยพลังตบะอันยิ่งใหญ่; ความรุ่งเรืองแห่งแนวปราสาทของนครนี้งามนัก จนแม้ยามกลางวันก็ประหนึ่งต้องแสงจันทร์

Word by Word

• तपोबलेन: by the power of austerity
• तपोबलेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् + बल (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (तपसः बलम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• महता: great
• महता: Visheshana (Adjective of instrument)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (of तपोबलेन)

• विहिता: constructed, arranged
• विहिता: Vidheyavisheshana (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + धा (धातु) + क्त (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘made/constructed’

• विश्वकर्मणा: by Viśvakarman
• विश्वकर्मणा: Karana (Instrument/agent-instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्वकर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• दिवा: by day
• दिवा: Kala-adhikarana (Temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दिवा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of time)

• अपि: even, also
• अपि: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (inclusion/emphasis)

• कौमुदी: moonlight, brightness
• कौमुदी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौमुदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• यस्याः: of which/whose
• यस्याः: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative)

• सौधश्रेणीश्रियम्: the splendor of rows of mansions
• सौधश्रेणीश्रियम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सौध + श्रेणी + श्री (प्रातिपदिकानि)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (सौधानां श्रेणी; तस्याः श्रीः), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• श्रयेत्: would resort to / would take refuge in
• श्रयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रि (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Gaṇas (context continues from v.2)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sahasrākṣa-purī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Naimiṣāraṇya sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic view of palace rows (sau-dha-śreṇī) shimmering with cool, moonlike sheen despite the sun overhead; Viśvakarman appears above or to the side with tools, surrounded by a subtle aura of tapas-fire transmuted into architectural light.

Characters & Entities

• Viśvakarman
• Tapas
• Saudha (palaces)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places manifest beauty and order born of tapas, reflecting divine craftsmanship in the world.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The city Sahasrākṣa-purī (named in the preceding verse) is being described.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is a māhātmya-style visual glorification of the site.