Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

मोक्षलक्ष्मीरियं काशी न येभ्यः परिरोचते । स्वर्लक्ष्मीं कांक्षमाणेभ्यः पतितास्ते न संशयः

Transliteration

mokṣalakṣmīriyaṃ kāśī na yebhyaḥ parirocate | svarlakṣmīṃ kāṃkṣamāṇebhyaḥ patitāste na saṃśayaḥ

Translation

Dieses Kāśī ist die Lakṣmī der Befreiung selbst. Wem sie nicht begehrenswert erscheint und wer stattdessen nach himmlischem Glanz verlangt, dessen Seele ist gefallen, ohne Zweifel.

Word by Word

• mokṣa-lakṣmīḥ: the fortune of liberation
• mokṣa-lakṣmīḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mokṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + lakṣmī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मोक्षस्य लक्ष्मीः)

• iyam: this
• iyam: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• kāśī: Kāśī
• kāśī: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation marker/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• yebhyaḥ: to whom
• yebhyaḥ: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), बहुवचन

• parirocate: pleases, appears attractive
• parirocate: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari-ruc (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• svar-lakṣmīm: heavenly prosperity
• svar-lakṣmīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svar (प्रातिपदिक) + lakṣmī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (स्वर्गस्य लक्ष्मीम्)

• kāṃkṣamāṇebhyaḥ: to those desiring
• kāṃkṣamāṇebhyaḥ: Sampradāna (Dative of reference/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kāṃkṣ (धातु) + śatṛ (कृत्)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), बहुवचन; ‘(ते) ...’ इति विशेषणम्

• patitāḥ: fallen
• patitāḥ: Karta (Subject complement/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pat (धातु) + ta (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• na: no, not
• na: Sambandha (Negation marker/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• saṃśayaḥ: doubt
• saṃśayaḥ: Karta (Predicate noun/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃśaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Śiva (as Maheśāna), in Skanda Purāṇa Kāśīkhaṇḍa context

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: General devotees; framed for brāhmaṇas in the surrounding discourse

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two paths contrasted: one pilgrim gazes at celestial opulence (svarga-lakṣmī) fading like a mirage; another embraces Kāśī as a radiant goddess (Mokṣa-Lakṣmī) standing by Viśvanātha and Gaṅgā.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Mokṣa
• Svarga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Value liberation over mere heavenly enjoyment; Kāśī embodies mokṣa itself and is to be cherished above svarga-oriented aims.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), identified as ‘mokṣa-lakṣmī’—the fortune of liberation.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific ritual is named; the verse teaches a hierarchy of spiritual goals—mokṣa over svarga.