Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

शिवशर्मोवाच । का इमा रूपलावण्य सौभाग्यनिधयः स्त्रियः । दिव्यालंकारधारिण्यो दिव्यभोगसमन्विताः

Transliteration

śivaśarmovāca | kā imā rūpalāvaṇya saubhāgyanidhayaḥ striyaḥ | divyālaṃkāradhāriṇyo divyabhogasamanvitāḥ

Translation

ศิวศรมะกล่าวว่า: “สตรีเหล่านี้คือผู้ใด—เป็นขุมทรัพย์แห่งรูปโฉม ความงาม และสิริมงคล—ประดับด้วยอาภรณ์ทิพย์ และพร้อมด้วยสุขเสวยแห่งสวรรค์?”

Word by Word

• शिवशर्मः: Śivaśarman
• शिवशर्मः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिवशर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्शभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदम्

• का: who?
• का: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक-सर्वनाम

• इमाः: these
• इमाः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; निर्देशवाचक-सर्वनाम

• रूपलावण्य: beauty and grace
• रूपलावण्य: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रूप (प्रातिपदिक) + लावण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्वसमासः (रूपं च लावण्यं च); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (समाहार-द्वन्द्व; विशेषणभावेन प्रयुक्तम्)

• सौभाग्यनिधयः: treasures of good fortune
• सौभाग्यनिधयः: Karta (Predicate nominative/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सौभाग्य (प्रातिपदिक) + निधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (सौभाग्यस्य निधयः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• स्त्रियः: women
• स्त्रियः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्त्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• दिव्यालंकारधारिण्यः: wearing divine ornaments
• दिव्यालंकारधारिण्यः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य (प्रातिपदिक) + अलंकार (प्रातिपदिक) + धारिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषः (दिव्याः अलंकाराः येषां/या धारयन्ति); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (स्त्रियः)

• दिव्यभोगसमन्विताः: endowed with divine enjoyments
• दिव्यभोगसमन्विताः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य (प्रातिपदिक) + भोग (प्रातिपदिक) + समन्वित (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषः (दिव्यैः भोगैः समन्विताः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; (स्त्रियः इत्यस्य विशेषणं—लिङ्गव्यत्ययः काव्ये)

Speaker

Śivaśarmā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (frame)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Purāṇic audience (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śivaśarmā, astonished, gestures toward a group of radiant women wearing divine ornaments; his posture is inquisitive, while the women stand in composed splendor amid a luxurious, otherworldly cityscape.

Characters & Entities

• Śivaśarmā
• celestial women (Apsaras implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It introduces inquiry (praśna) in sacred narrative—wonder becomes the doorway to instruction about divine order and merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The chapter belongs to the Kāśīkhaṇḍa (Kāśī/Vārāṇasī setting), though the verse itself is descriptive and interrogative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a narrative question preparing for explanation.