Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 92

Devanagari script

जन्मांतरसहस्रेषु युंजन्योगी यदाप्नुयात् । तदिहैव परो मोक्षो मरणादधि गम्यते

Transliteration

janmāṃtarasahasreṣu yuṃjanyogī yadāpnuyāt | tadihaiva paro mokṣo maraṇādadhi gamyate

Translation

Jene höchste Befreiung, die ein Yogi erst nach Mühen durch Tausende von Geburten erlangen würde, wird hier selbst erreicht, ja sogar durch den Tod (in Avimukta).

Word by Word

• जन्मान्तरसहस्रेषु: in thousands of other births
• जन्मान्तरसहस्रेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्म (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक) + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (जन्मान्तराणां सहस्रेषु) (Neuter, Locative, Plural)

• युञ्जन्: practicing (yoga)
• युञ्जन्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: युज् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमान कृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘युञ्जन्’ = practicing/engaging (Masculine, Nom, Singular)

• योगी: a yogin
• योगी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योगिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• यत्: what/that which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• आप्नुयात्: might attain
• आप्नुयात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Potential/Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (Optative, 3rd person, singular)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तद्-निर्देशक (correlative)

• इह: here
• इह: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• एव: indeed, only
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• परः: supreme
• परः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; मोक्षः इति विशेषण (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• मोक्षः: liberation
• मोक्षः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• मरणात्: from death
• मरणात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Ablative, Singular)

• अधि: beyond, over
• अधि: Sambandha (Prepositional/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अधि (अव्यय/उपसर्ग)
• Form: उपसर्गसदृश-अव्यय; ‘अधि’ = above/over; अत्र ‘मरणात् अधि’ = beyond death

• गम्यते: is attained
• गम्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद, कर्मणि प्रयोग (Present, 3rd person, singular; passive)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A yogin’s long path is contrasted with the immediate grace of Avimukta: a dying devotee in Kāśī, serene, with Śiva’s liberating presence implied at the moment of passing.

Characters & Entities

• Avimukta
• Mokṣa
• Yogī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Avimukta is exalted as a kṣetra where liberation is made extraordinarily accessible, surpassing even long yogic striving.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Avimukta-Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), especially the salvific power of dying there.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite; the teaching centers on the salvific significance of Kāśī-maraṇa (death in Kāśī/Avimukta).