Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

कियंति संति नो भूम्यां मोक्षक्षेत्राणि षण्मुख । परं मन्येऽविमुक्तस्य कोट्यंशोपि न तेष्वहो

Transliteration

kiyaṃti saṃti no bhūmyāṃ mokṣakṣetrāṇi ṣaṇmukha | paraṃ manye'vimuktasya koṭyaṃśopi na teṣvaho

Translation

كم من ميادين الخلاص (موكشا) على الأرض، يا ذا الوجوه الستة (Ṣaṇmukha)! غير أني أرى أنه ليس لواحدٍ منها حتى جزءٌ من مليون من أفيموكتا (Avimukta)—وا أسفاه.

Word by Word

• kiyanti: how many
• kiyanti: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kiyat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• santi: are, exist
• santi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपद

• naḥ: of us / our
• naḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• bhūmyām: on the earth
• bhūmyām: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūmi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• mokṣakṣetrāṇi: fields/places of liberation
• mokṣakṣetrāṇi: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mokṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• ṣaṇmukha: O Ṣaṇmukha (six-faced one)
• ṣaṇmukha: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṣaṭ (प्रातिपदिक) + mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative/8th), एकवचन (Singular)

• param: but, however
• param: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: param (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable), अर्थे ‘but/however’

• manye: I think
• manye: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: man (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तम-पुरुष (1st person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद

• avimuktasya: of Avimukta (Kāśī) / of the never-abandoned (place)
• avimuktasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: a + vimukta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• koṭi-aṃśaḥ: a croreth part
• koṭi-aṃśaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: koṭi (प्रातिपदिक) + aṃśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-अव्यय (particle: even/also)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation)

• teṣu: in those
• teṣu: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• aho: alas!/indeed!
• aho: Sambandha (Exclamation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: aho (अव्यय)
• Form: विस्मय/उद्गार-अव्यय (exclamation particle)

Speaker

Agastya (deduced; vocative to Skanda)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Skanda (Ṣaṇmukha)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A map-like sacred panorama: many famed mokṣa-kṣetras shown as small vignettes across Bhārata, while Avimukta/Kāśī is enthroned at center with a radiant aura, Śiva’s presence implied as protective and un-abandoning.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda (Ṣaṇmukha)
• Avimukta
• Kāśī
• Mokṣa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Avimukta (Kāśī) is portrayed as the unrivaled locus of liberation, surpassing all other mokṣa-kṣetras.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Avimukta—Kāśī’s central liberation-region, famed as Śiva’s never-abandoned domain.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual; the verse is tīrtha-ranking (tīrtha-tāratamya) exalting Avimukta.