Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

इति निश्चित्य निर्वाणपदनिःश्रेणिकां पराम् । सर्वेषामेव जंतूनां तत्र संस्थितिकारिणाम्

Transliteration

iti niścitya nirvāṇapadaniḥśreṇikāṃ parām | sarveṣāmeva jaṃtūnāṃ tatra saṃsthitikāriṇām

Translation

So fasste er den Entschluss zu jener höchsten „Leiter“, die zum Zustand der Befreiung führt—bestimmt für alle Wesen, die dort ihren Bestand und Halt finden—und richtete seinen Willen auf das höchste Heil.

Word by Word

• इति: thus
• इति: Avyaya (Discourse marker/इति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उक्त्यर्थक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• निश्चित्य: having ascertained/decided
• निश्चित्य: Kriya (Gerundial action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-√चि (धातु) + ल्यप् (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यपन्त अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• निर्वाणपदनिःश्रेणिकाम्: the supreme ladder to the state of liberation
• निर्वाणपदनिःश्रेणिकाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निर्वाण-पद-निःश्रेणिका (प्रातिपदिक; components: निर्वाण + पद + निःश्रेणिका)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; षष्ठी/सप्तमी-तत्पुरुषार्थक समास (determinative: 'stairway to the state of nirvāṇa')

• पराम्: supreme
• पराम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; विशेषण

• सर्वेषाम्: of all
• सर्वेषाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th case), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम-विशेषण

• एव: indeed
• एव: Avyaya (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• जन्तूनाम्: of creatures
• जन्तूनाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्तु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th case), बहुवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Avyaya (Locative adverb/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• संस्थितिकारिणाम्: of those who remain/abide there
• संस्थितिकारिणाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संस्थिति-कारिन् (प्रातिपदिक; components: संस्था/संस्थिति + कारिन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th case), बहुवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (agent-noun: 'doers of abiding/remaining')

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The pilgrim pauses inwardly, visualizing Kāśī as a luminous stairway rising from the earthly plane to a radiant realm of liberation, with countless beings ascending under Śiva’s unseen grace.

Characters & Entities

• Nirvāṇa
• Jantu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrthas are praised not merely for worldly merit but as steps toward liberation when approached with firm resolve.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse speaks generally of a liberation-granting support; the named sites appear in the surrounding narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed here; it emphasizes niścaya (firm resolve) oriented to mokṣa.