Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 69

Devanagari script

पादांगुष्ठनखज्योतिः प्रभया कस्य न प्रभा । विवेकजनिताऽध्वंसि मुने तस्या मृगीदृशः

Transliteration

pādāṃguṣṭhanakhajyotiḥ prabhayā kasya na prabhā | vivekajanitā'dhvaṃsi mune tasyā mṛgīdṛśaḥ

Translation

ด้วยรัศมีจากเล็บนิ้วหัวแม่เท้าของนาง ใครเล่าจะไม่ถูกกลบด้วยความรุ่งเรืองนั้น? ข้าแต่มุนี ความแน่วแน่ที่เกิดจากวิเวกของนางผู้มีดวงตาดุจเนื้อทราย ย่อมสลายเสน่ห์อันด้อยทั้งปวง

Word by Word

• पाद: foot
• पाद: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थे प्रातिपदिक (समासाङ्ग), एकवचन (compound-member stem)

• अङ्गुष्ठ: big toe
• अङ्गुष्ठ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अङ्गुष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थे प्रातिपदिक (समासाङ्ग), एकवचन (compound-member stem)

• नख: nail
• नख: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थे प्रातिपदिक (समासाङ्ग), एकवचन (compound-member stem)

• ज्योतिः: the radiance of the toenail
• ज्योतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्योतिस् (प्रातिपदिक) [पाद-अङ्गुष्ठ-नख-ज्योतिः]
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समासः: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (पादस्य अङ्गुष्ठस्य नखस्य ज्योतिः)

• प्रभया: by (its) splendor
• प्रभया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन

• कस्य: of whom
• कस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation particle)

• प्रभा: splendor
• प्रभा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• विवेक: discernment
• विवेक: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विवेक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थे प्रातिपदिक (समासाङ्ग), एकवचन (compound-member stem)

• जनिता: produced (by)
• जनिता: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जनित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √जन् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) अर्थे ‘produced/caused’ (समासाङ्ग)

• अध्वंसि: dispelling (darkness) born of discernment
• अध्वंसि: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अध्वंसिन् (प्रातिपदिक) [विवेक-जनित-अध्वंसि]
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुष (विवेकेन जनितः अध्वंसः यस्याः/यत्) → ‘destructive/dispelling’

• मुने: O sage
• मुने: Address (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• तस्याः: of her
• तस्याः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; निर्देशवाचक सर्वनाम

• मृगीदृशः: the doe-eyed (woman)
• मृगीदृशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृगी-दृश् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समासः कर्मधारय (मृगी इव दृक् यस्याः)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (frame) / a ‘muni’ addressed within the episode

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant maiden in Kāśī; a subtle halo-like glow emanates from the nail of her great toe, while the sage-narration frames her beauty as born of discernment and devotion.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (implied context)
• Sage (muni—listener implied, likely Agastya)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True ‘radiance’ is linked to viveka—discernment and inner purity—suggesting that spiritual clarity surpasses external allure within Kāśī’s dharmic ideal.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī as the overarching sacred geography; this verse itself does not name a particular tirtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly.