Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

सदप्सरा यथास्वर्भूस्तत्पुर्यपिसदप्सराः । एकैव पद्मा वैकुंठे तस्य पद्माकराः शतम्

Transliteration

sadapsarā yathāsvarbhūstatpuryapisadapsarāḥ | ekaiva padmā vaikuṃṭhe tasya padmākarāḥ śatam

Translation

正如天界常有阿普萨拉（天女）相随，那座城亦有常在的天女；在毗昆塔唯有一位莲华女神（Padmā），而对他却有百处莲池。

Word by Word

• सदप्सराः: (there are) apsarases
• सदप्सराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत् + अप्सरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; ‘सत्-अप्सराः’ (true/ever apsarases)

• यथा: as/just as
• यथा: Upamana-marker
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमानवाचक-अव्यय (comparative particle)

• स्वर्भूः: Svargabhū (heavenly realm)
• स्वर्भूः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्भू (प्रातिपदिक; स्वः + भू)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• तत्पुरि: in that city
• तत्पुरि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तत् + पुरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: Particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• सदप्सराः: apsarases
• सदप्सराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत् + अप्सरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• एका: one
• एका: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण

• एव: only/indeed
• एव: Particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-निपात

• पद्मा: Padmā (Lakṣmī)
• पद्मा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद्मा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• वैकुण्ठे: in Vaikuṇṭha
• वैकुण्ठे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैकुण्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• तस्य: of him/of that
• तस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Possessive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• पद्माकराः: lotus-lakes/lotus-mines (lotus-abodes)
• पद्माकराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद्म + आकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• शतम्: a hundred
• शतम्: Karta/Predicate-noun
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; संख्यावाचक

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa context typically Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (sarovara/puṣkariṇī imagery)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Lotus-filled lakes within Kāśī, with graceful celestial dancers (apsarases) present as if in svarga; a small Vaikuṇṭha vignette shows a single Padmā/Lakṣmī, contrasted with ‘a hundred’ lotus-lakes around Kāśī’s sacred precincts.

Characters & Entities

• Apsaras
• Svarga
• Vaikuṇṭha
• Padmā
• Kāśī (implied)
• Divodāsa (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The mahātmya amplifies Kāśī’s excellence by claiming that what is rare in celestial worlds becomes plentiful in the sacred city.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is implied; the verse praises its city-life and abundance through comparisons to Svarga and Vaikuṇṭha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is purely eulogistic, not procedural.