Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

तत्स्यात्रिविष्टपे दृष्टे काश्यां मन्ये ततोधिकम् । काश्यां त्रिविष्टपे दृष्टे दृष्टं सर्वं त्रिविष्टपम्

Transliteration

tatsyātriviṣṭape dṛṣṭe kāśyāṃ manye tatodhikam | kāśyāṃ triviṣṭape dṛṣṭe dṛṣṭaṃ sarvaṃ triviṣṭapam

Translation

Den Himmel (Triviṣṭapa) zu schauen ist wahrlich ein großes Erlangen; doch ich halte es für noch größer, ihn in Kāśī zu erblicken. Denn wenn Triviṣṭapa in Kāśī gesehen wird, ist es, als wäre der ganze Himmel geschaut.

Word by Word

• tat: that (thing)
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• syāt: would be
• syāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• triviṣṭape: in heaven (Triviṣṭapa)
• triviṣṭape: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri + viṣṭapa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; स्थानवाचक (locative)

• dṛṣṭe: when (it is) seen / in the seen (state)
• dṛṣṭe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dṛś (धातु) → dṛṣṭa (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), सप्तमी (7), एकवचन, पुंलिङ्ग; triviṣṭape इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• kāśyām: in Kāśī
• kāśyām: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन

• manye: I think
• manye: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: man (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• tataḥ: than that / from that
• tataḥ: Hetu/Apadana (Source/अपादान-अर्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; उपपद/अव्यय (ablatival adverb)

• adhikam: greater
• adhikam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: adhika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; तुलनार्थक (comparative sense)

• kāśyām: in Kāśī
• kāśyām: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन

• triviṣṭape: in heaven
• triviṣṭape: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri + viṣṭapa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन

• dṛṣṭe: when seen
• dṛṣṭe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dṛś (धातु) → dṛṣṭa (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन, पुंलिङ्ग; triviṣṭape इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• dṛṣṭam: (is) seen / the seeing
• dṛṣṭam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dṛś (धातु) → dṛṣṭa (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; भावे/कर्मणि प्रयोगः

• sarvam: all
• sarvam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; dṛṣṭam इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• triviṣṭapam: heaven (as the whole)
• triviṣṭapam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri + viṣṭapa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; कर्मपदम्

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (as Triviṣṭapa manifest)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim stands on a Kāśī ghat at dawn; above the city, Svarga’s radiance appears superimposed—celestial vimānas, apsarases, and divine light—yet anchored to the earthly lanes and temples of Kāśī, suggesting ‘Triviṣṭapa seen in Kāśī’.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Triviṣṭapa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is portrayed as surpassing even celestial attainments; sacred vision within Kāśī is treated as spiritually complete.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) is glorified as the locus where even ‘heaven’ is encountered through sacred presence and darśana.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed here; the emphasis is on darśana (holy seeing/encounter) in Kāśī.