Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 51

Devanagari script

प्राहागच्छ नयामि त्वां यियासुरहमप्यहो । दुर्लभं प्राप्य मानुष्यं यदि काशी न सेविता

Transliteration

prāhāgaccha nayāmi tvāṃ yiyāsurahamapyaho | durlabhaṃ prāpya mānuṣyaṃ yadi kāśī na sevitā

Translation

Er sprach: „Komm, ich werde dich führen; auch ich wünsche aufzubrechen. Weh! Hat man die seltene menschliche Geburt erlangt und dient Kāśī nicht (indem man sie besucht und ehrt), so ist das ein schwerer Verlust.“

Word by Word

• प्राह: he said
• प्राह: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + अह् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; ‘प्र + अह्’ = ‘प्राह’ (he said)

• आगच्छ: come
• आगच्छ: Kriya (Command/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + गम् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; आज्ञार्थक

• नयामि: I lead / I will take
• नयामि: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नी (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• त्वाम्: you
• त्वाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; द्वितीया (2nd/Vibhakti), एकवचन; (पुं/स्त्री/नपुं सर्वत्र)

• यियासुः: desirous to go
• यियासुः: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: या (धातु) + सुँ (उणादि/इच्छार्थक) → यियासु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: इच्छार्थक कृदन्त (Desiderative agent noun); प्रथमा, एकवचन, पुल्लिङ्ग; विशेषण (अहम्)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• अपि: also / even
• अपि: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle)

• अहो: alas! / indeed!
• अहो: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अहो (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विस्मयादिबोधक निपात (exclamation)

• दुर्लभम्: rare, hard to obtain
• दुर्लभम्: Karma qualifier (कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर् + लभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘दुर्’ उपसर्गपूर्वक तत्पुरुष; विशेषण (मानुष्यं)

• प्राप्य: having obtained
• प्राप्य: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Gerund/Absolutive) अव्यय; ‘having obtained’

• मानुष्यं: human birth / humanity
• मानुष्यं: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानुष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन

• यदि: if
• यदि: Condition marker (हेतु/शर्त)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; शर्तार्थक अव्यय (conditional)

• काशी: Kashi (Varanasi)
• काशी: Karma (Object of ‘सेविता’/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation)

• सेविता: is served/visited
• सेविता: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सेव् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त (past passive participle) स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगार्थे—‘(काशी) न सेविता’ = ‘is not served/visited’

Speaker

Tapasvī (ascetic guide)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Primary interlocutor within Kāśīkhaṇḍa frame (traditionally Śaunaka/ṛṣi-assembly in Purāṇic setting; specific not stated in verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A compassionate guide-sage invites the seeker to set out for Kāśī, emphasizing the rarity of human birth; the road to the luminous city is implied.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Human birth (mānuṣya)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Human birth is rare and should be fulfilled through engagement with liberating sacred spaces—Kāśī is presented as a foremost choice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), to be ‘served’ through pilgrimage, devotion, and reverent living.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No single ritual is named; the prescription is Kāśī-sevā—devotional resort to Kāśī (pilgrimage/residence/worship).