Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

परितापहराणि पद्मिनीनां मृदुलान्यपि कंकणीकृतानि । गदितानि यदीश्वरेण सर्पास्तदभूत्सत्यमहोमहेश्वरेच्छा

Transliteration

paritāpaharāṇi padminīnāṃ mṛdulānyapi kaṃkaṇīkṛtāni | gaditāni yadīśvareṇa sarpāstadabhūtsatyamahomaheśvarecchā

Translation

即便是柔软的莲丝——本为消除莲女之热恼——一经主宰开口称说，竟被制成手镯，化作群蛇。于是言成真实；摩醯首罗的意志，实在奇妙！

Word by Word

• परिताप-हराणि: removing distress
• परिताप-हराणि: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परिताप (प्रातिपदिक) + हर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (परितापं हरन्ति इति)

• पद्मिनीनाम्: of the lotus-women (lotus maidens)
• पद्मिनीनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद्मिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• मृदुलानि: soft
• मृदुलानि: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मृदुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (also/even)

• कङ्कणी-कृतानि: made into bangles
• कङ्कणी-कृतानि: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कङ्कणी (प्रातिपदिक) + कृ (धातु) → कृत (क्त-कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; क्त (past passive participle)

• गदितानि: having been said
• गदितानि: Kriya (Predicative participle/क्रिया-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गद् (धातु) → गदित (क्त-कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; क्त (said/spoken)

• यत्: which/that
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative)

• ईश्वरेण: by the Lord
• ईश्वरेण: Karana (Agent-instrumental/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• सर्पाः: snakes
• सर्पाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• तत्: that/thereupon
• तत्: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तद्-शब्द

• अभूत्: became/was
• अभूत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (aorist/अनद्यतनभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• सत्यम्: true
• सत्यम्: Kriya (Predicative complement/क्रिया-पूर्ति)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; वाक्ये विधेयभावे

• अहो: ah!/indeed!
• अहो: Sambandha (Exclamation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अहो (अव्यय)
• Form: विस्मयादिबोधक निपात (exclamation)

• महेश्वर-इच्छा: Mahēśvara’s will
• महेश्वर-इच्छा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक) + इच्छा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (महेश्वरस्य इच्छा)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra, implied)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Lotus maidens (padminīs) with cool lotus fibers; as Śiva speaks, the fibers transform into serpent-bracelets coiling gracefully around wrists—non-threatening nāgas as ornaments—while onlookers marvel at Mahēśvara’s will made manifest.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Maheśvara (Śiva)
• serpents (sarpāḥ)
• lotus-fibers/bracelets

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Lord’s will is sovereign: reality reshapes itself under Maheśvara’s command, affirming devotion to Śiva as the ultimate refuge.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse belongs to the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī-centered mahatmya; it praises Śiva’s power within that sacred narrative frame rather than naming a specific tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is an assertion of divine power and poetic wonder.