Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 91

Devanagari script

वयश्च प्रथमं चारु रूपं त्रैलोक्यकांक्षितम् । सर्वाभिभवनं स्त्रीत्वं कुलं चातीव निर्मलम्

Transliteration

vayaśca prathamaṃ cāru rūpaṃ trailokyakāṃkṣitam | sarvābhibhavanaṃ strītvaṃ kulaṃ cātīva nirmalam

Translation

میری عمر جوانی کے پہلے شگوفے میں ہے؛ میرا حسن دلکش ہے—تینوں جہانوں میں مطلوب۔ میرا نسوانی وقار سب پر غالب ہے، اور میرا خاندان نہایت پاکیزہ ہے۔

Word by Word

• vayaḥ: age/youth
• vayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vayas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Avyaya (Conjunction/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (and)

• prathamam: first/early
• prathamam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prathama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (first/early)

• ca: and
• ca: Avyaya (Conjunction/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय

• āru: beautiful
• āru: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: āru (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (beautiful/pleasing)

• rūpam: form/beauty
• rūpam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• trailokya-kāṃkṣitam: desired by the three worlds
• trailokya-kāṃkṣitam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक) + kāṃkṣita (कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘त्रैलोक्येन/त्रैलोक्यस्य काम्यते’—काङ्क्ष्-धातोः क्त; ‘desired by the three worlds’

• sarva-abhibhavanam: overpowering all
• sarva-abhibhavanam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + abhibhavana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः ‘सर्वान् अभिभवति’ (overpowering all)

• strītvaṃ: womanhood
• strītvaṃ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: strītva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; भाववाचक (state of being a woman)

• kulam: family/lineage
• kulam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Avyaya (Conjunction/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय

• atīva: very
• atīva: Avyaya (Adverb/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atīva (अव्यय)
• Form: अतिशयार्थक-अव्यय (very/exceedingly)

• nirmalam: pure/spotless
• nirmalam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nirmala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

Speaker

The woman character (self-assessment), reported by Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A self-portrait in words: a young woman in the first bloom of youth, radiant beauty and noble lineage, standing with confident posture—yet the narrative undertone hints at pride as a precipice.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly advantages—youth, beauty, lineage—can become causes of pride; dharma calls for humility and restraint.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tirtha is explicitly praised in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.