Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 53

Devanagari script

सर्वाण्यपि समादाय प्रतस्थे भूधरेश्वरः । आगत्य वरणातीरं दूरात्काशीमलोकयत्

Transliteration

sarvāṇyapi samādāya pratasthe bhūdhareśvaraḥ | āgatya varaṇātīraṃ dūrātkāśīmalokayat

Translation

Nachdem er all dies zusammengetragen hatte, brach der Herr des Berges auf. Als er das Ufer der Varaṇā erreichte, erblickte er Kāśī aus der Ferne.

Word by Word

• सर्वाणि: all (things)
• सर्वाणि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन; सर्व-शब्दः (pronoun-like)

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक-अव्यय (also/even)

• समादाय: having taken (all)
• समादाय: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्यय; अर्थः—‘सम्यक् आदाय’ (having taken/collecting)

• प्रतस्थे: set out, departed
• प्रतस्थे: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-स्था (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• भूधरेश्वरः: the lord of the mountain (king)
• भूधरेश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूधर-ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक; भूधर + ईश्वर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (भूधराणाम् ईश्वरः)

• आगत्य: having come
• आगत्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्यय; अर्थः—‘आगम्य’ (having come)

• वरणातीरम्: the bank of the Varana (river)
• वरणातीरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वरणा-तीर (प्रातिपदिक; वरणा + तीर)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (वरणायाः तीरम्)

• दूरात्: from afar
• दूरात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दूर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पञ्चमी-प्रयोगे अव्ययीभाव (ablatival adverb); अर्थः—दूरदेशात् (from afar)

• काशीम्: Kashi (Varanasi)
• काशीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• अलोकयत्: he saw, beheld
• अलोकयत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-लोक् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Varaṇā-tīra (gateway to Kāśī)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: muni (sage)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A mountain-lord (bhūdhareśvara) departs with gathered treasures and attendants; he arrives at the Varaṇā riverbank and gazes at Kāśī in the distance—city silhouette shimmering beyond the water.

Characters & Entities

• Varaṇā River
• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Approaching a tirtha is itself a sanctifying journey; even the first sight of Kāśī is portrayed as spiritually significant.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī, approached via the Varaṇā river-bank—an identifying feature of Vārāṇasī’s sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated; the verse emphasizes pilgrimage movement and sacred sight (darśana).