Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 53

Devanagari script

एषापि काशिराजस्य कुमार्यस्त्विह बर्करी । अत्रैव भोगान्संप्राप्य मुक्तिं प्राप्स्यत्यनुत्तमाम्

Transliteration

eṣāpi kāśirājasya kumāryastviha barkarī | atraiva bhogānsaṃprāpya muktiṃ prāpsyatyanuttamām

Translation

Auch dieses Mädchen—Barkarī, die Tochter des Königs von Kāśī—wird, nachdem sie hier selbst die rechtmäßigen Genüsse erlangt hat, die unvergleichliche höchste Befreiung (mokṣa) erreichen.

Word by Word

• एषा: this (woman)
• एषा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

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

• काशिराजस्य: of the king of Kāśī
• काशिराजस्य: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशिराज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; समासः = षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (काश्याः राजा)

• कुमार्यः: maidens, daughters
• कुमार्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुमारी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषार्थक-अव्यय (but/indeed)

• इह: here
• इह: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• बर्करी: Barkarī (name/epithet)
• बर्करी: Karta (Apposition/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बर्करी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; व्यक्तिनाम/विशेषसंज्ञा (proper name/epithet)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (here)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (only/indeed)

• भोगान्: enjoyments
• भोगान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भोग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन

• सम्प्राप्य: having attained
• सम्प्राप्य: Purvakala (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम् + प्र + आप् (धातु) → सम्प्राप्य (क्त्वान्त/अव्ययकृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• मुक्तिम्: liberation
• मुक्तिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• प्राप्स्यति: will attain
• प्राप्स्यति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (simple future/भविष्यत्), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• अनुत्तमाम्: unsurpassed, supreme
• अनुत्तमाम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनुत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; ‘मुक्तिम्’ इति विशेषणम्

Speaker

Śrī Devī (Pārvatī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī/Avimukta-kṣetra (implicit)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Barkarī, princess of Kāśī, is foretold to enjoy rightful pleasures in Kāśī and then attain unsurpassed liberation—worldly splendor dissolving into serene release.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśīrāja (King of Kāśī)
• Barkarī
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is portrayed as a liberating kṣetra where even while living a complete life (bhoga), one can ultimately attain mokṣa.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) as a whole sacred field (kṣetra) is glorified as granting anuttamā mukti.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated in this verse; it states the fruit (phala) of the kṣetra.