Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 70

Devanagari script

त्रिसंध्यं परिशुद्धात्मा काशीं प्राप्स्यति दुर्लभाम् । अनेन स्तोत्रयुग्मेन जप्तेन प्रत्यहं नृभिः

Transliteration

trisaṃdhyaṃ pariśuddhātmā kāśīṃ prāpsyati durlabhām | anena stotrayugmena japtena pratyahaṃ nṛbhiḥ

Translation

Wer dieses Hymnenpaar täglich rezitiert und es zu den drei Sandhyās übt, der erlangt mit geläutertem Geist das schwer zu erreichende Kāśī.

Word by Word

• tri-saṃdhyam: thrice daily (at the three sandhyās)
• tri-saṃdhyam: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tri (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃdhyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावः; क्रियाविशेषण—‘त्रिसन्ध्यम्’ = three times at the junctions (morning/noon/evening)

• pariśuddha-ātmā: a purified-souled person
• pariśuddha-ātmā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pariśuddha (प्रातिपदिक) + ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—‘परिशुद्ध आत्मा यस्य’ (one whose self is purified) used as substantive

• kāśīm: Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• kāśīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• prāpsyati: will attain
• prāpsyati: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √āp (आप्) with pra- (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• durlabhām: hard to obtain
• durlabhām: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: durlabha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; qualifies kāśīm

• anena: by this
• anena: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; instrumental pronoun

• stotra-yugmena: by the pair of hymns
• stotra-yugmena: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: stotra (प्रातिपदिक) + yugma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—‘स्तोत्रयोः युग्मम्’ (pair of hymns)

• japtena: by (its) recitation
• japtena: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jap (जप्) (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), तृतीया (3), एकवचन, नपुंसकलिङ्ग; instrumental—‘(अनेन) जप्तेन’ = by (its) being recited

• pratyaham: every day
• pratyaham: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prati (अव्यय) + ahan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावः; adverb—‘प्रत्यहम्’ (each day)

• nṛbhiḥ: by men, by people
• nṛbhiḥ: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Triptych-like scene: the same devotee recites at three sandhyās—pink dawn by a riverbank, bright midday in a shaded courtyard, and golden dusk with lamps—each panel subtly overlayed with Kāśī’s ghāṭas, indicating ‘attainment’ through rhythm and purity.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Vārāṇasī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Discipline in daily worship (especially at the three sandhyās) leads to inner purity and access to sacred destiny.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), presented as ‘durlabhā’—rare to attain.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Chanting the ‘stotra-yugma’ daily, aligned with tri-sandhyā practice.