Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 81

Devanagari script

नामापि गृह्णतां काश्याः सदैवास्त्वेनसः क्षयः

Transliteration

nāmāpi gṛhṇatāṃ kāśyāḥ sadaivāstvenasaḥ kṣayaḥ

Translation

যারা কাশীর নামমাত্রও গ্রহণ করে (উচ্চারণ/স্মরণ করে), তাদের পাপ সর্বদা ক্ষয় হোক।

Word by Word

• nāma: name
• nāma: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāman (नामन् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

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

• gṛhṇatām: (of those) who take/utter
• gṛhṇatām: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: grah (ग्रह् धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद; (वर्तमानकाले ‘they take/utter’)

• kāśyāḥ: of Kāśī
• kāśyāḥ: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśī (काशी प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन

• sadā: always
• sadā: Kala-adhikarana (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (always)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक अव्यय (indeed/only)

• astu: may there be
• astu: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (अस् धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative/benedictive), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• enasaḥ: of sin
• enasaḥ: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: enas (एनस् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन

• kṣayaḥ: destruction/cessation
• kṣayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣaya (क्षय प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (as nāma and kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: General devotees/pilgrims; traditional ṛṣi audience frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee softly chanting ‘Kāśī’ with prayer beads; the syllables appear as luminous script dissolving dark stains (enas) around the heart; faint outline of Kāśī ghāṭas in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Nāma (holy name)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The sanctity of Kāśī operates even through remembrance: taking Kāśī’s name is itself a purifier leading to pāpa-kṣaya.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) in general—its very name is praised as purificatory.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Nāma-grahaṇa (uttering/remembering the sacred name of Kāśī) as a simple, accessible purificatory practice.