Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 88

Devanagari script

तुलसी देवगंधारी बृहत्पत्री कुशांकुरैः । नद्यावर्तैरगस्त्यैश्च सशालैर्देवदारुभिः

Transliteration

tulasī devagaṃdhārī bṛhatpatrī kuśāṃkuraiḥ | nadyāvartairagastyaiśca saśālairdevadārubhiḥ

Translation

他以tulasī、devagandhārī、阔叶之草木与柔嫩的kuśa新芽供奉；以nadyāvarta之花与agastya之花供奉；并以śāla之叶与devadāru之嫩枝而礼拜。

Word by Word

• तुलसी: tulasī (holy basil)
• तुलसी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तुलसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Nominative, Singular)

• देवगंधारी: devagandhārī (a fragrant plant)
• देवगंधारी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवगंधारी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Nominative, Singular)

• बृहत्पत्री: bṛhatpatrī (broad-leaved plant)
• बृहत्पत्री: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बृहत् + पत्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (बृहती पत्री यस्याः) (Feminine, Nominative, Singular; descriptive compound)

• कुशांकुरैः: with sprouts of kuśa grass
• कुशांकुरैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुश + अंकुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण) विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (kuśasya aṅkuraḥ) (Masculine, Instrumental, Plural; genitive tatpurusha)

• नद्यावर्तैः: with nadyāvarta flowers
• नद्यावर्तैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नद्यावर्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण) विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Instrumental, Plural)

• अगस्त्यैः: with agastya flowers
• अगस्त्यैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अगस्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण) विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Instrumental, Plural)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• सशालैः: together with śāla (trees)
• सशालैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स + शाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण) विभक्ति, बहुवचन; अव्ययीभाव (सहित-शालैः = शालैः सह) (Masculine, Instrumental, Plural; avyayibhava meaning 'together with')

• देवदारुभिः: with deodar (devadāru) trees/wood
• देवदारुभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवदारु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण) विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Instrumental, Plural)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A calm, orderly pūjā: tulasī sprigs, kuśa shoots, nadyāvarta and agastya blossoms, śāla leaves and devadāru sprigs laid in symmetrical patterns around a Śiva-liṅga.

Characters & Entities

• Śaṅkara
• Śukra
• Tulasī
• Kuśa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Piety includes reverent use of sacred plants and ritual grasses, transforming natural offerings into disciplined worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī, where even simple leaves, grasses, and herbs offered with devotion are treated as powerful worship of Śiva.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Use of kuśa sprouts and sacred botanical offerings as part of Śiva’s upacāras.