Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 170

Devanagari script

केवलं भूमिभाराय जन्मिनो जन्म तस्य वै । येनानंदवने दृष्टो नोंकारः सर्वकामदः

Transliteration

kevalaṃ bhūmibhārāya janmino janma tasya vai | yenānaṃdavane dṛṣṭo noṃkāraḥ sarvakāmadaḥ

Translation

Für den Geborenen ist diese Geburt wahrlich nur eine Last für die Erde — es sei denn, in Ānandavana wurde der Oṃkāra geschaut, der alle ersehnten Ziele gewährt.

Word by Word

• केवलम्: only/merely
• केवलम्: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: केवल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• भूमिभाराय: for the burden of the earth
• भूमिभाराय: Sampradāna (Purpose/Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूमि + भार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (4th/Dative), एकवचन

• जन्मिनः: of the embodied being/one who is born
• जन्मिनः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• जन्म: birth
• जन्म: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• तस्य: of that (one)
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• वै: indeed
• वै: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; emphasis)

• येन: by which/through whom
• येन: Karaṇa (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन, नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (सन्दर्भानुसार)

• आनन्दवने: in Ānandavana (the forest of bliss)
• आनन्दवने: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आनन्द + वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• दृष्टः: was seen
• दृष्टः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ओंकारः: Oṃkāra (the syllable Oṃ)
• ओंकारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ओंकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• सर्वकामदः: giver of all desires
• सर्वकामदः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + काम + द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् ‘ओंकारः’

Speaker

Narrative voice (within Skanda’s Kāśī discourse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ānandavana (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim in Kāśī’s Ānandavana beholds a radiant Oṃkāra manifestation—either as a luminous glyph above a liṅga or as sound made visible—while the city’s ghāṭas and temples glow in dawn light, conveying life’s fulfillment.

Characters & Entities

• Ānandavana
• Oṃkāra (Om)
• Kāśī (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Human birth becomes meaningful through direct encounter with the divine—symbolized by Oṃkāra—especially in Kāśī’s sacred sphere.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ānandavana, the celebrated sacred grove of Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Not a formal rite; it emphasizes darśana (sacred seeing/realization) of Oṃkāra, implying pilgrimage and contemplative worship.