Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 48

Devanagari script

असिं ह्युपस्पृश्य पुनःपुनर्मुनिः प्रासादमालाः परितो विलोकयन् । उवाच नेत्रे सरले प्रपश्यतं काशीं युवां क्वक्व पुरी त्वियं बत

Transliteration

asiṃ hyupaspṛśya punaḥpunarmuniḥ prāsādamālāḥ parito vilokayan | uvāca netre sarale prapaśyataṃ kāśīṃ yuvāṃ kvakva purī tviyaṃ bata

Translation

সীমা বারবার স্পর্শ করে, প্রাসাদশ্রেণি চারদিকে চেয়ে মুনি বললেন—“হে আমার সরল দুই নয়ন, কাশীকে ভালো করে দেখো; আহা, এমন নগরী আর কোথায়, কোথায়?”

Word by Word

• असिम्: the sword
• असिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात

• उपस्पृश्य: having touched
• उपस्पृश्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उपस्पृश्य (कृदन्त; √स्पृश् (धातु) उपसर्ग-उप; ल्यप्)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (absolutive) — 'having touched'

• पुनःपुनः: again and again
• पुनःपुनः: Kala (Frequency/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनःपुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरुक्ति-प्रयोग (reduplication) — 'again and again'

• मुनिः: the sage
• मुनिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• प्रासादमालाः: rows of palaces
• प्रासादमालाः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रासाद-माला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः—प्रासादानां मालाḥ (rows/garlands of palaces)

• परितः: all around
• परितः: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: परितः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक

• विलोकयन्: looking
• विलोकयन्: Karta (Agent participle/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विलोकयत् (कृदन्त; √लोक् (धातु) उपसर्ग-वि; शतृ)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमान-कृदन्त (present participle), पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषण-भावे — 'while looking'

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/लिट्), प्रथमा-पुरुषः (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• नेत्रे: O two eyes
• नेत्रे: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन) द्विवचन

• सरले: O straightforward/clear (ones)
• सरले: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सरल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे सम्बोधन द्विवचन; विशेषणम् (agreeing with नेत्रे)

• प्रपश्यतम्: see (you two)
• प्रपश्यतम्: Kriya (Command/आज्ञा)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √पश् (धातु) उपसर्ग-प्र
• Form: लोट् (Imperative/लोट्), मध्यम-पुरुषः (2nd), द्विवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• काशीम्: Kāśī
• काशीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• युवाम्: you two
• युवाम्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा/द्वितीया, द्विवचन; अत्र सम्बोधन-समानार्थे प्रथमा — 'you two'

• क्व: where?
• क्व: Adhikarana (Interrogative location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्व (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नवाचक-देशवाचक (interrogative adverb) — 'where?'

• क्व: where?
• क्व: Adhikarana (Interrogative location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्व (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरुक्ति — 'where, where'

• पुरी: the city
• पुरी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• तु: but
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विभेदार्थक-निपात — 'but/indeed'

• इयम्: this
• इयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; निर्देशवाचक-सर्वनाम

• बत: alas!/indeed!
• बत: Sambandha (Exclamation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: बत (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विस्मय/खेदार्थक-निपात (exclamatory particle)

Speaker

Agastya (deduced from the departure-lament voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-sīmā (boundary of Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Agastya stands at Kāśī’s boundary, repeatedly touching it in reverence; he slowly turns, surveying palace-rows and sacred architecture, then speaks tenderly to his own eyes to drink in the vision.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Sīmā (boundary of the city)
• Prāsāda (palaces/temples)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Darśana of Kāśī itself is a devotional act; the pilgrim is urged to contemplate its uniqueness as a manifestation of sacred power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī/Vārāṇasī, praised as incomparable among cities.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Reverent contact with the city’s sīmā (boundary) and intentional darśana (mindful beholding) of the sacred city.