Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 85

Devanagari script

अष्टांगयोगाभ्यासेन यत्पुण्यमपि जायतेः । तत्पुण्यं साधिकं भूयाच्छ्रद्धाकाशीनिषेवणात्

Transliteration

aṣṭāṃgayogābhyāsena yatpuṇyamapi jāyateḥ | tatpuṇyaṃ sādhikaṃ bhūyācchraddhākāśīniṣevaṇāt

Translation

Welches Verdienst auch durch die Übung des achtgliedrigen Yoga entsteht—möge dieses Verdienst noch größer werden durch gläubige Hingabe, Dienst und Aufenthalt in Kāśī.

Word by Word

• अष्टाङ्गयोगाभ्यासेन: by the practice of eight-limbed yoga
• अष्टाङ्गयोगाभ्यासेन: Karana (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अष्टाङ्ग + योग + अभ्यास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (instr sg); अष्टाङ्गस्य योगस्य अभ्यासेन = 'by practice of eight-limbed yoga'

• यत्: which (merit)
• यत्: Karma/Pratipadyam (Correlative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (rel. pronoun)

• पुण्यम्: merit
• पुण्यम्: Karma (Object/Result)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधानार्थक (particle: 'even')

• जायते: arises
• जायते: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (3rd sg: 'arises/is produced')

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Demonstrative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन

• पुण्यम्: merit
• पुण्यम्: Karta/Pratipadyam (Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन

• साधिकम्: greater (with an addition)
• साधिकम्: Visheshana (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: साधिक (प्रातिपदिक; स + अधिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (neut nom/acc sg; 'with something extra')

• भूयात्: should be
• भूयात्: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद (3rd sg: 'should become/be')

• श्रद्धाकाशीनिषेवणात्: from devoted resorting to Kāśī
• श्रद्धाकाशीनिषेवणात्: Hetu (Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रद्धा + काशी + निषेवण (प्रातिपदिक; नि√सेव् + ल्युट्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी विभक्ति; एकवचन (abl sg); श्रद्धया काश्याः निषेवणात् = 'from devoted resorting to Kāśī'

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A yogin in aṣṭāṅga posture fades into the background while a humble devotee sweeps a temple courtyard and offers water/flowers to Śiva in Kāśī; the devotee is bathed in stronger divine light.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Aṣṭāṅga Yoga
• Śraddhā (faith)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Place plus faith intensifies practice—Kāśī is depicted as a kṣetra where yoga’s merit increases.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), approached with śraddhā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Not a single rite; it commends faithful resort to Kāśī as spiritually potent alongside yogic discipline.