Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 90

Devanagari script

शिवशर्मा व्रजन्सोथ देशाद्देशांतरं क्रमात् । महाकाल पुरीं प्राप कलिकालविवर्जिताम्

Transliteration

śivaśarmā vrajansotha deśāddeśāṃtaraṃ kramāt | mahākāla purīṃ prāpa kalikālavivarjitām

Translation

ثم إن شيفاشرما، سائراً خطوةً خطوةً من أرضٍ إلى أرض، بلغ مدينة مهاكالا، مقاماً مقدّساً منزّهاً عن دنس عصر كالي.

Word by Word

• शिवशर्मा: Śivaśarman (a person)
• शिवशर्मा: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिवशर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• व्रजन्: going, proceeding
• व्रजन्: Kriya-vishesana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्रज् (धातु) → व्रजत्/व्रजन् (कृदन्त, शतृ-प्रत्यय)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कृदन्त (Present participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणभावेन (adverbial to main verb)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha/Discourse marker
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/आरम्भसूचक (particle: then/now)

• देशात्: from a country/place
• देशात्: Apadana (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• देशान्तरम्: another region/country
• देशान्तरम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देश + अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (देशस्य अन्तरम्)

• क्रमात्: gradually, in sequence
• क्रमात्: Kriya-vishesana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-एकवचनरूपेण अव्ययीभाव (instrumental used adverbially); क्रमशः (adverbial: gradually/in order)

• महाकाल: O Mahākāla
• महाकाल: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाकाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन; महा + काल (विशेषण-विशेष्यभावः)

• पुरीम्: city
• पुरीम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• प्राप: reached, attained
• प्राप: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• कलिकालविवर्जिताम्: devoid of the Kali age
• कलिकालविवर्जिताम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कलि-काल + विवर्जित (कृदन्त/क्त-प्रत्यय, वि+वृज्/वर्ज्)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (पुरीम्) ; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (कलिकालस्य विवर्जिता)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśī-khaṇḍa discourse, often Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahākālapurī (Avantī/Ujjayinī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and other ṛṣis (Naimiṣāraṇya frame, typical)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A lone pilgrim Śivaśarmā traverses varied landscapes—forests, rivers, villages—finally beholding the luminous city of Mahākāla, its skyline marked by liṅga-shrines and temple spires, with an aura of timelessness untouched by Kali.

Characters & Entities

• Śivaśarmā
• Mahākāla
• Mahākāla-purī
• Kali

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage to a Śaiva kṣetra can lift one beyond the spiritual decline associated with Kali-yuga.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mahākāla-purī, the city associated with Lord Mahākāla (Śiva).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse emphasizes the act of reaching/visiting the sacred city.