Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

पुण्यवानितरो वापि मम क्षेत्रस्य सेवया । मुक्तो भवति देवेशि नात्र कार्या विचारणा

Transliteration

puṇyavānitaro vāpi mama kṣetrasya sevayā | mukto bhavati deveśi nātra kāryā vicāraṇā

Translation

„Ob tugendhaft oder nicht: Durch den Dienst an Meinem heiligen Kṣetra wird man befreit, o Herrin des Herrn; daran ist nicht zu zweifeln.“

Word by Word

• पुण्यवान्: virtuous, meritorious
• पुण्यवान्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्यवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (masc. nom. sg., adjective)

• इतरः: another person, someone else
• इतरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इतर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (masc. nom. sg.)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha/Connector (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (disjunctive particle: 'or')

• अपि: also, even
• अपि: Sambandha/Emphasis (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक-निपात (particle: 'also/even')

• मम: of me, my
• मम: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (gen. sg., pronoun)

• क्षेत्रस्य: of the sacred field (kṣetra)
• क्षेत्रस्य: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन (neut. gen. sg.)

• सेवया: by service
• सेवया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेवा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन (fem. instr. sg.)

• मुक्तः: liberated, freed
• मुक्तः: Karta-predicate (कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुच् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय) → मुक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (masc. nom. sg.)

• भवति: becomes
• भवति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (3rd sg. pres.)

• देवेशि: O goddess (lady of gods)
• देवेशि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवेशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन (voc. sg.)

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• अत्र: here, in this matter
• अत्र: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb: 'here/in this matter')

• कार्या: necessary, to be done
• कार्या: Predicate adjective (विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कार्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (fem. nom. sg., predicative: 'to be done/necessary')

• विचारणा: deliberation, inquiry
• विचारणा: Karta-predicate (कर्तृ/विधेय-नाम)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विचारणा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (fem. nom. sg.)

Speaker

Kanakakuṇḍala (contextual: addressing his wife, referred to as deveśī in affectionate/honorific style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotional proclamation in Kāśī: the luminous kṣetra of Śiva, with pilgrims serving—sweeping ghāṭ steps, offering lamps—while the assurance of mokṣa is spoken to Devī.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī-kṣetra
• kṣetra-sevā (service to the holy field)
• mukti (liberation)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Service to Kāśī-kṣetra is proclaimed as a direct cause of liberation, transcending ordinary calculations of personal merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī-kṣetra itself—presented as ‘My field’ whose service grants mokṣa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Kṣetra-sevā (service to the sacred region)—a broad prescription that can include temple service, tīrtha attendance, and dharmic conduct within Kāśī.