Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

शशिमौलिप्रसादेन काशीसंस्थोऽमृतो भवेत् । यत्नतोऽयत्नतो वापि कालात्त्यक्त्वा कलेवरम्

Transliteration

śaśimauliprasādena kāśīsaṃstho'mṛto bhavet | yatnato'yatnato vāpi kālāttyaktvā kalevaram

Translation

Durch die Gnade des mondgekrönten Herrn (Śiva) wird, wer in Kāśī weilt, unsterblich — ob er den Leib zur bestimmten Zeit mit Mühe oder ohne Mühe verlässt.

Word by Word

• शशि-मौलि-प्रसादेन: by the grace of the moon-crested (Śiva)
• शशि-मौलि-प्रसादेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शशि (प्रातिपदिक) + मौलि (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रसाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masc., Instr., Sg.); शशिमौलिः (चन्द्रमौलिः) तस्य प्रसादः

• काशी-संस्थः: one residing in Kāśī
• काशी-संस्थः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक) + संस्थ (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, √स्था)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masc., Nom., Sg.)

• अमृतः: immortal
• अमृतः: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अमृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masc., Nom., Sg.)

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (3rd, Sg.)

• यत्नतः: deliberately/with effort
• यत्नतः: Kriya-viseshana (Manner/रीति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त-अव्यय (adverbial ablatival form)

• अयत्नतः: without effort/accidentally
• अयत्नतः: Kriya-viseshana (Manner/रीति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अयत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त-अव्यय (adverbial)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Alternative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (disjunctive particle)

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक-अव्यय (also/even)

• कालात्: in time/at the (due) time
• कालात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masc., Abl., Sg.)

• त्यक्त्वा: having abandoned
• त्यक्त्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial to implied main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• कलेवरम्: the body
• कलेवरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलेवर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neut., Acc., Sg.)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya (Kumbhaja)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Moon-crested Śiva extends a hand of blessing over a dying pilgrim on a Kāśī ghāṭa; the departing prāṇa is shown as a small flame rising into a serene, luminous sky.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Śaśimauli)
• Kāśī
• Dehatyāga (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Liberation in Kāśī is grounded in Śiva’s grace, not merely personal capacity or the circumstances of death.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī as the grace-filled mokṣa-kṣetra under the moon-crested Śiva.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; the verse emphasizes the salvific role of Śiva’s prasāda at the time of leaving the body in Kāśī.