Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 35

Devanagari script

गुणाः प्रजापतिक्षेत्रे ये सर्वे समुदीरिताः । अविमुक्ते महाक्षेत्रेऽसंख्याताश्च भवंति हि

Transliteration

guṇāḥ prajāpatikṣetre ye sarve samudīritāḥ | avimukte mahākṣetre'saṃkhyātāśca bhavaṃti hi

Translation

Alle Vorzüge, die für das heilige Feld Prajāpatis verkündet werden—im Avimukta, dem großen heiligen Gebiet von Kāśī—werden wahrlich unzählbar.

Word by Word

• गुणाः: merits
• गुणाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन — “qualities/merits”

• प्रजापति-क्षेत्रे: in Prajapati-kṣetra
• प्रजापति-क्षेत्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रजापति (प्रातिपदिक) + क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष — “in Prajapati’s sacred field”

• ये: which
• ये: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन — relative pronoun referring to ‘गुणाः’

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन — “all” (qualifies ‘गुणाः’)

• समुदीरिताः: proclaimed
• समुदीरिताः: Kriya (Predicate participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + उद् + ईर् (धातु) → समुदीरित (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — “have been proclaimed/mentioned”

• अविमुक्ते: in Avimukta
• अविमुक्ते: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अविमुक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — “in Avimukta (Kashi)”

• महा-क्षेत्रे: in the great kṣetra
• महा-क्षेत्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; कर्मधारय — “in the great sacred field”

• असंख्याताः: countless
• असंख्याताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ (नञ्) + संख्यात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन — “countless” (qualifies ‘गुणाः’)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — समुच्चय (and)

• भवन्ति: are
• भवन्ति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन — “become/are”

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — निपात (particle: indeed)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta Mahākṣetra (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage-inquirer (traditional frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic Kāśī vision: countless shrines and liṅgas, ghāṭs stretching along the Gaṅgā, pilgrims everywhere; above, a cosmic overlay shows Prajāpati’s field as a smaller mandala, while Avimukta expands beyond count, suggesting ‘asaṅkhyāta-guṇa’.

Characters & Entities

• Avimukta (Kāśī)
• Prajāpati-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī (Avimukta) is affirmed as the unsurpassed mahākṣetra where all sacred merits expand beyond measure.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Avimukta—the great sacred region identified with Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed here; the verse primarily declares the incomparable greatness (guṇa) of Avimukta.