Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

नापचीयेत ते किंचिन्नोपचीयेत तत्त्वतः । अव्ययत्वाच्च पूर्णत्वाद्धानिवृद्धी कृतस्त्वयि

Transliteration

nāpacīyeta te kiṃcinnopacīyeta tattvataḥ | avyayatvācca pūrṇatvāddhānivṛddhī kṛtastvayi

Translation

In Wahrheit kann nichts von Dir geringer werden, noch kann etwas wirklich zunehmen; denn Du bist unvergänglich und ewig vollkommen. ‘Verlust’ und ‘Gewinn’ sind nur Vorstellungen, die man auf Dich projiziert.

Word by Word

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• apacīyeta: should diminish
• apacīyeta: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: apa√cī (धातु; चीयते)
• Form: लट्-लकारः? (actually विधिलिङ्/Optative), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; धातु: अप√चि/चि (to diminish/decay)

• te: for you
• te: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (प्रातिपदिक; सर्वनाम)
• Form: सर्वनाम-शब्दः; चतुर्थी/षष्ठी? (here: चतुर्थी), एकवचनम्; (Dative singular)

• kiṃcit: anything
• kiṃcit: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kiṃcit (प्रातिपदिक; अनिश्चित-सर्वनाम)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गम्, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; (indefinite pronoun: 'anything')

• na: nor/not
• na: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• upacīyeta: should increase
• upacīyeta: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upa√cī (धातु; चीयते)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; धातु: उप√चि (to increase/accumulate)

• tattvataḥ: in truth; essentially
• tattvataḥ: Adhikarana (Adverbial locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tattva (प्रातिपदिक) + tas (तसिल्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: तसिलन्त-अव्ययम् (adverbial ablative: 'from/according to reality')

• avyayatvāt: because of imperishability
• avyayatvāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: avyayatva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गम्, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचनम्; कारणार्थे (ablative of cause)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• pūrṇatvāt: because of fullness/completeness
• pūrṇatvāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pūrṇatva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गम्, पञ्चमी, एकवचनम्; कारणार्थे

• hāni-vṛddhī: loss and increase
• hāni-vṛddhī: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hāni (प्रातिपदिक) + vṛddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गम्, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, द्विवचनम्; द्वन्द्व-समासः (हानी च वृद्धी च)

• kṛte: made/produced
• kṛte: Karma (Object complement/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛ (धातु) → kṛta (कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त-भूतकर्मणि कृदन्तम्; नपुंसकलिङ्गम्, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, द्विवचनम्; (agreeing with हानी-वृद्धी)

• tvayi: in you
• tvayi: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (प्रातिपदिक; सर्वनाम)
• Form: सर्वनाम-शब्दः; सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचनम्

Speaker

Skanda (deduced Kāśīkhaṇḍa norm: Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta-Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A contemplative teaching scene in Kāśī: Śiva as luminous, unchanging center while the world’s symbols of gain and loss (scales, coins, fading garlands) swirl like shadows around Him; a devotee realizes their illusory nature.

Characters & Entities

• Mahākāla
• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva/Mahākāla is beyond change; worldly categories like increase and decrease do not apply to the Absolute.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader frame is Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), where Mahākāla/Śiva is praised as the timeless Lord.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse is doctrinal, establishing Śiva’s unchanging nature as the basis for devotion.