Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 120

Devanagari script

ब्रह्महत्यादि पापानि यस्या नाम्नोपि कीर्तनात् । त्यजंति पापिनं काशी सा केनेहोपमीयते

Transliteration

brahmahatyādi pāpāni yasyā nāmnopi kīrtanāt | tyajaṃti pāpinaṃ kāśī sā kenehopamīyate

Translation

Selbst schwere Sünden wie Brahmanenmord verlassen den Sünder schon durch das bloße Singen ihres Namens—so ist Kāśī. Womit in dieser Welt ließe sie sich vergleichen?

Word by Word

• ब्रह्महत्या-आदि: beginning with brahmin-slaying etc.
• ब्रह्महत्या-आदि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ब्रह्महत्या (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण; आदि-तत्पुरुष (ब्रह्महत्या-प्रभृति)

• पापानि: sins
• पापानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• यस्याः: of whom/whose
• यस्याः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम

• नाम्ना: by (her) name
• नाम्ना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; नामन्-शब्द (नकारान्त)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle: even/also)

• कीर्तनात्: from the uttering/praising
• कीर्तनात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कीर्तन (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त-भाव) < कीर्त् (धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; हेतौ/कारणे (cause)

• त्यजन्ति: abandon, leave
• त्यजन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• पापिनम्: the sinner
• पापिनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पापिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• काशी: Kāśī
• काशी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• सा: she/that (Kāśī)
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• केन: by what? with what?
• केन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• इह: here
• इह: Desha (Location/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place: here)

• उपमीयते: is compared
• उपमीयते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-मा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and ṛṣis (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Person burdened by dark ‘sin’ shadows chants ‘Kāśī’; the shadows dissolve into light over the cityscape—ghāṭs, temples, and a radiant aura around the kṣetra.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Brahmahatyā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s sanctity is so great that even uttering her name is said to dissolve the heaviest sins.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), portrayed as uniquely incomparable among all sacred places.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Kīrtana (chanting/reciting) of the name ‘Kāśī’ is highlighted as a potent spiritual act.