Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

यैरर्चितोसि भगवंस्तुलसीप्रसूनैर्दूरीकृतैणमदसौरभदिव्यगंधैः । तानर्चयंति दिवि देवगणाःसमस्ता मंदारदामभिरलं विमलस्वभावान्

Transliteration

yairarcitosi bhagavaṃstulasīprasūnairdūrīkṛtaiṇamadasaurabhadivyagaṃdhaiḥ | tānarcayaṃti divi devagaṇāḥsamastā maṃdāradāmabhiralaṃ vimalasvabhāvān

Translation

Hỡi Bhagavān! Ai thờ phụng Ngài bằng hoa tulasī—hương thơm thần diệu xua tan cả mùi xạ hương nồng—những người có bản tánh thanh khiết ấy, nơi cõi trời được toàn thể chư thiên tôn kính bằng tràng hoa mandāra.

Word by Word

• yaiḥ: by which/with which
• yaiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-सर्वनाम

• arcitaḥ: worshipped
• arcitaḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: arc (धातु) + kta (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘worshipped’

• asi: are
• asi: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु; असि)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन

• bhagavan: O Lord
• bhagavan: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• tulasī: tulasī
• tulasī: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tulasī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, समासाङ्ग

• prasūnaiḥ: with tulasī flowers
• prasūnaiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prasūna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः—तुलस्याः प्रसूनानि

• dūrī: far away
• dūrī: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dūrī (अव्यय/उपसर्गवत्)
• Form: अव्यय (adverbial prefix) ‘far away’ (समासपूर्वपद)

• kṛta: made
• kṛta: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛ (धातु) + kta (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); ‘made/done’ (समासाङ्ग)

• eṇa: deer
• eṇa: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: eṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, समासाङ्ग; हरिण/मृग

• mada: musk
• mada: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, समासाङ्ग; मद (musk/ichor)

• saurabha: fragrance
• saurabha: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saurabha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, समासाङ्ग; सुगन्ध

• divya: divine
• divya: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: divya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, समासाङ्ग; विशेषण ‘divine’

• gaṃdhaiḥ: with divine scents (of musk fragrance)
• gaṃdhaiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṃdha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समाससमूहः—dūrī-kṛta-eṇa-mada-saurabha-divya-gaṃdha

• tān: them
• tān: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• arcayanti: worship
• arcayanti: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: arc (धातु; अर्चयति)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• divi: in heaven
• divi: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: div (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• deva: gods
• deva: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, समासाङ्ग

• gaṇāḥ: hosts of gods
• gaṇāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः—देवानां गणाः

• samastāḥ: all together
• samastāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: samasta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• maṃdāra: mandāra (heavenly tree)
• maṃdāra: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maṃdāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, समासाङ्ग; स्वर्गवृक्ष

• dāma: garlands
• dāma: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāma (प्रातिपदik)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, समासाङ्ग; माला/हार

• bhiḥ: with
• bhiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: (भिस्-प्रत्यय; तृतीया-बहुवचन)
• Form: विभक्ति-प्रत्यय (instrumental plural ending) — ‘with’

• alam: abundantly/indeed
• alam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: alam (अव्यय)
• Form: पर्याप्त्यर्थक-अव्यय (indeclinable: sufficiently/indeed)

• vimala: pure
• vimala: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vimala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• svabhāvān: those of pure nature
• svabhāvān: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva + bhāva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः—स्वः भावः यस्य (their nature)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee offers fresh tulasī blossoms at a Viṣṇu shrine; the fragrance is depicted as luminous waves; in the celestial realm, devas honor the devotee with mandāra garlands in a bright assembly hall.

Characters & Entities

• Bhagavān (Viṣṇu)
• Tulasī
• Deva-gaṇas
• Mandāra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Simple, sincere offerings—especially tulasī—carry immense spiritual power and elevate the devotee to divine honor.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching appears within Kāśī Khaṇḍa’s devotional setting; no single Kāśī tirtha is specified in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Arcana/pūjā of the Lord using tulasī blossoms is explicitly praised.