Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 60

Devanagari script

यः काशीं स्तौति मेधावी यः काशीं हृदि धारयेत् । तेन तप्तं तपस्तीव्रं तेनेष्टं क्रतुकोटिभिः

Transliteration

yaḥ kāśīṃ stauti medhāvī yaḥ kāśīṃ hṛdi dhārayet | tena taptaṃ tapastīvraṃ teneṣṭaṃ kratukoṭibhiḥ

Translation

Wer weise ist, Kāśī preist und Kāśī im Herzen trägt: durch eben diese Tat ist es, als hätte er strenge Askese vollbracht und Opfer in Myriaden dargebracht.

Word by Word

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (masc. nom. sg.)

• kāśīm: Kāśī
• kāśīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (fem. acc. sg.)

• stauti: praises
• stauti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: stu (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन (3rd sg. pres.)

• medhāvī: intelligent
• medhāvī: Karta (Qualifier of subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: medhāvin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (masc. nom. sg.)

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (masc. nom. sg.)

• kāśīm: Kāśī
• kāśīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (fem. acc. sg.)

• hṛdi: in (the) heart
• hṛdi: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hṛd (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (neut. loc. sg.)

• dhārayet: should hold/bear
• dhārayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dhṛ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन (3rd sg. opt.)

• tena: by him/thereby
• tena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (instr. sg.)

• taptam: has been performed (as austerity)
• taptam: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tap (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neut. sg.)

• tapaḥ: austerity
• tapaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neut. sg.)

• tīvram: intense
• tīvram: Karma (Qualifier/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tīvra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (neut. sg.)

• tena: by him/thereby
• tena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (instr. sg.)

• iṣṭam: has been sacrificed/offerings made
• iṣṭam: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yaj (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (PPP) from √yaj with iṣṭa-, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neut. sg.)

• kratu-koṭibhiḥ: by crores of sacrifices
• kratu-koṭibhiḥ: Karana (Instrument/Standard of comparison/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kratu + koṭi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (कोटि), तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; क्रतु-कोटिभिः=by crores of sacrifices (instr. pl.)

Speaker

Śiva (Trilocana), continuing the praise-context

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A wise devotee sits in meditation; within the heart-lotus appears a miniature Kāśī—ghāṭas, Gaṅgā, and Viśvanātha—while sacrificial fires and ascetic heat are symbolically shown as emanations from that inner vision.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional praise and heartfelt remembrance of Kāśī can equal the merit of severe tapas and innumerable yajñas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), revered as a heart-held sacred kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Stavana (praise) and hṛdaya-dhāraṇa (inner contemplation) are presented as potent substitutes for extensive austerities and sacrifices.