Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 130

Devanagari script

अपि स्मृत्वा पुरीं यां वै काशीं त्रैलोक्यकांक्षिताम् । न नरो लिप्यते पापैस्तां विवेश स भूपतिः

Transliteration

api smṛtvā purīṃ yāṃ vai kāśīṃ trailokyakāṃkṣitām | na naro lipyate pāpaistāṃ viveśa sa bhūpatiḥ

Translation

Schon das bloße Gedenken an jene Stadt—Kāśī, von den drei Welten ersehnt—befleckt den Menschen nicht mit Sünden. In eben dieses Kāśī trat darauf der König ein.

Word by Word

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात; concessive/emphatic particle (‘even/also’)

• स्मृत्वा: having remembered
• स्मृत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) + त्वा-प्रत्यय (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); ‘having remembered’

• पुरीम्: the city
• पुरीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; Accusative singular

• याम्: which
• याम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; relative pronoun ‘which’

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात; emphasis/assurance particle

• काशीम्: Kāśī
• काशीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; Accusative singular; apposition to ‘purīm’

• त्रैलोक्य-कांक्षिताम्: desired by the three worlds
• त्रैलोक्य-कांक्षिताम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रैलोक्य (प्रातिपदिक) + कांक्षित (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; past passive participle used adjectivally; ‘desired by the three worlds’

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• लिप्यते: is tainted
• लिप्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लिप् (धातु) लट्, कर्मणि
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive): ‘is tainted’

• पापैः: by sins
• पापैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; Instrumental plural; ‘by sins’

• ताम्: that (Kāśī)
• ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; demonstrative pronoun ‘that (city)’

• विवेश: entered
• विवेश: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विश् (धातु) लिट्
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; Parasmaipada; ‘entered’

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘he’

• भूपतिः: the king
• भूपतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू (प्रातिपदिक) + पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘lord of the earth’

Speaker

Narrator (contextually Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim-king approaches the luminous city of Kāśī; above, a subtle aura indicates that even remembrance purifies—sins fall away like dust in light.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Vārāṇasī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is so spiritually potent that even its remembrance purifies; sacred geography supports liberation-oriented living.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), praised as “desired by the three worlds.”

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Smaraṇa (devotional remembrance) of Kāśī is presented as spiritually efficacious; no further rite is specified here.