Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

प्रातर्भोज्याः प्रयत्नेन चतुर्दशकुमारिकाः । अलंकृता यथाशक्त्या स्रगंबरविभूषणैः

Transliteration

prātarbhojyāḥ prayatnena caturdaśakumārikāḥ | alaṃkṛtā yathāśaktyā sragaṃbaravibhūṣaṇaiḥ

Translation

صبح کے وقت پوری کوشش سے چودہ کماریوں کو کھانا کھلایا جائے، اور اپنی استطاعت کے مطابق انہیں ہاروں، لباسوں اور زیورات سے آراستہ کیا جائے۔

Word by Word

• प्रातः: in the morning
• प्रातः: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रातः (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb: in the morning)

• भोज्याः: to be fed
• भोज्याः: Visheshya-predicate (विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भोज्य (प्रातिपदिक; √भुज् से यत्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (to be fed)

• प्रयत्नेन: with effort
• प्रयत्नेन: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रयत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• चतुर्दशकुमारिकाः: fourteen maidens
• चतुर्दशकुमारिकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर्दश + कुमारिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः—द्विगु (चतुर्दश कुमारिकाः)

• अलंकृता: adorned
• अलंकृता: Kriya (State/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अलम् + कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past Passive Participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगे (predicative)

• यथा: according to
• यथा: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: रीतिवाचक अव्यय (adverb: as/according to)

• शक्त्या: ability
• शक्त्या: Karana (Measure/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• स्रक्: garlands
• स्रक्: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्रज्/स्रक् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन (स्रग्भिः इत्यर्थे; पदे समासाङ्गत्वात् रूप-लोपः)

• अम्बर: garments
• अम्बर: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अम्बर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन (अम्बरैः इत्यर्थे; समासाङ्ग)

• विभूषणैः: ornaments
• विभूषणैः: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विभूषण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Viśālākṣī-vrata (at Viśāla Tīrtha/Viśālākṣī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya (Kumbhaja)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Morning after vigil: fourteen adorned maidens seated in a row, being served sweet rice and fruits; garlands, new cloth, and small ornaments are offered as devotees bow with reverence, seeing them as Devī’s forms.

Characters & Entities

• Kumārikāḥ (fourteen maidens)
• Viśālākṣī (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion matures into compassion and honoring śakti in living forms; worship is completed through respectful giving.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Viśālākṣī-centered observance in Kāśī (as part of the Adhyāya’s rite-sequence).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Feed fourteen kumārikās in the morning and adorn them with garlands, clothing, and ornaments as per one’s capacity.