Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

स्थैर्यं बबंध न क्वापि भ्रमतो मे मनोगतिः । सर्वस्मिन्नपि भूभागे यथा स्थैर्यमगादिह

Transliteration

sthairyaṃ babaṃdha na kvāpi bhramato me manogatiḥ | sarvasminnapi bhūbhāge yathā sthairyamagādiha

Translation

لم يجد عقلي القَلِقُ ثباتًا في أي موضعٍ وهو يهيم؛ غير أنّه هنا في كاشي نال السكينة والرسوخ اللذين لم ينلهما في أي بقعةٍ أخرى من الأرض.

Word by Word

• sthairyam: steadiness
• sthairyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sthairya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• babandha: bound; fixed
• babandha: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bandh (बन्ध् धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: negation

• kva: anywhere
• kva: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: 'anywhere/where?')

• api: at all
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: particle (even/at all)

• bhramataḥ: of (me) wandering
• bhramataḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhram (भ्रम् धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (present participle), षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; पुंलिङ्ग; 'of me who am wandering'

• me: my/of me
• me: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• manaḥ-gatiḥ: movement of the mind
• manaḥ-gatiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manas (प्रातिपदिक) + gati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुष)

• sarvasmin: in every
• sarvasmin: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; विशेषण

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

• bhū-bhāge: in (any) region of the earth
• bhū-bhāge: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhū (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुष)

• yathā: as
• yathā: Sambandha (Comparison/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (comparative: 'as')

• sthairyam: steadiness
• sthairyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sthairya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; क्रियापदस्य कर्मरूपेण (as object of 'agāt')

• agāt: came; was attained
• agāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (गम् धातु)
• Form: लुङ्-लकार (Aorist), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• iha: here
• iha: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (deictic adverb: 'here')

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative typically Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī / Avimukta

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A solitary pilgrim/ascetic seated on a Kāśī ghāṭ at sunrise, Ganga flowing steadily; the mind’s former restlessness shown as faint swirling motifs dissolving into calm; Viśveśvara temple silhouette in the background anchoring the scene.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• mind (manas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is praised as a place where the mind naturally becomes steady—supporting dhyāna, vairāgya, and readiness for mokṣa.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), implicitly as a uniquely peace-giving sacred kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse implies contemplative practice (inner steadiness/meditation) is especially fruitful in Kāśī.