Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 49

Devanagari script

स्वैरं हसंत्वद्य विधाय तालिकां मिथःकरेणापि करं प्रगृह्य । सीमाचरा भूतगणा व्रजाम्यहं विहाय काशीं सुकृतैकराशिम्

Transliteration

svairaṃ hasaṃtvadya vidhāya tālikāṃ mithaḥkareṇāpi karaṃ pragṛhya | sīmācarā bhūtagaṇā vrajāmyahaṃ vihāya kāśīṃ sukṛtaikarāśim

Translation

«Mögen heute die Scharen der Geister, die an der Stadtgrenze umherstreifen, frei lachen, in die Hände klatschen und einander bei den Handflächen fassen; denn ich gehe fort und lasse Kāśī zurück, diesen einzigen Haufen angesammelten Verdienstes.»

Word by Word

• स्वैरम्: freely
• स्वैरम्: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वैर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय-प्रयोगः (adverbial accusative) — 'freely, at will'

• हसन्तु: let (them) laugh
• हसन्तु: Kriya (Command/आज्ञा)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √हस् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative/लोट्), प्रथमा-पुरुषः (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• अद्य: today/now
• अद्य: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक

• विधाय: having made
• विधाय: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विधाय (कृदन्त; √धा (धातु) उपसर्ग-वि; ल्यप्)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (absolutive) — 'having made/done'

• तालिकाम्: a clapping/gesture (tālikā)
• तालिकाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तालिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• मिथः: mutually
• मिथः: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मिथः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; परस्परार्थक (reciprocal adverb) — 'mutually'

• करेण: with (the) hand
• करेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात

• करम्: hand
• करम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• प्रगृह्य: having grasped
• प्रगृह्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रगृह्य (कृदन्त; √ग्रह् (धातु) उपसर्ग-प्र; ल्यप्)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (absolutive) — 'having grasped'

• सीमाचराः: boundary-roaming
• सीमाचराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सीमा-चर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः—सीमायां चरन्ति (those who roam at the boundary)

• भूतगणाः: hosts of spirits
• भूतगणाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूत-गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः—भूतानां गणाः

• व्रजामि: I go
• व्रजामि: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √व्रज् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/लट्), उत्तम-पुरुषः (1st), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• विहाय: having left
• विहाय: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विहाय (कृदन्त; √हा (धातु) उपसर्ग-वि; ल्यप्)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (absolutive) — 'having left'

• काशीम्: Kāśī
• काशीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे द्वितीया, एकवचन

• सुकृतैकराशिम्: the single heap of merit
• सुकृतैकराशिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुकृत-एक-राशि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—सुकृतानाम् एकः राशिः (a single heap of merit)

Speaker

Agastya (deduced from first-person lament)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-sīmā (boundary precinct)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At Kāśī’s boundary, playful yet eerie bhūta-gaṇas clap and hold hands in a circle, laughing as a sorrowful sage departs; behind them, the luminous city stands like a treasure-mountain of merit.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Bhūta-gaṇa
• Sīmā (boundary)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is depicted as a concentrated reservoir of puṇya; leaving it is felt as relinquishing extraordinary spiritual fortune.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī/Vārāṇasī, especially its sacred boundary (sīmā) and liminal guardians/spirits.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; it alludes to the sanctity of the city-boundary and the merit inherent in dwelling/sojourning in Kāśī.