Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 45

Devanagari script

निर्वाणलक्ष्म्याः सदनमेतदानंदकाननम् । एतत्प्राप्य न मोक्तव्यं पुण्यैः संसारभीरुणा

Transliteration

nirvāṇalakṣmyāḥ sadanametadānaṃdakānanam | etatprāpya na moktavyaṃ puṇyaiḥ saṃsārabhīruṇā

Translation

Dieses Ānandakānana ist die eigentliche Wohnstatt des Glücks der Nirvāṇa. Wer es erreicht hat und den Saṃsāra fürchtet, soll es nicht preisgeben; vielmehr soll er es durch verdienstvolle Taten (puṇya) festhalten.

Word by Word

• निर्वाणलक्ष्म्याः: of the fortune/glory of liberation
• निर्वाणलक्ष्म्याः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निर्वाण-लक्ष्मी (प्रातिपदिक; निर्वाण + लक्ष्मी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (निर्वाणस्य लक्ष्मीः)

• सदनम्: abode; dwelling
• सदनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सदन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण

• आनंदकाननम्: the blissful grove
• आनंदकाननम्: Apposition (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आनन्द-कानन (प्रातिपदिक; आनन्द + कानन)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (आनन्दं काननम्)

• एतत्: this (place)
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• प्राप्य: having attained
• प्राप्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Gerund/Absolutive), अव्ययभाव; ‘having attained’

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• मोक्तव्यम्: should be abandoned/left
• मोक्तव्यम्: Vidhi/Predicate obligation (विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (Gerundive/Obligatory), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय (should be abandoned)

• पुण्यैः: by merits; through pious deeds
• पुण्यैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• संसारभीरुणा: by one fearful of worldly existence
• संसारभीरुणा: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संसार-भीरु (प्रातिपदिक; संसार + भीरु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (संसारस्य भीरुः); विशेषण (implicit agent)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogues commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ānandakānana (within Kāśī/Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage-seeking audience (sages/ devotees)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous sacred grove within Kāśī—Ānandakānana—filled with bilva and aśvattha trees, soft golden light, pilgrims performing pradakṣiṇā, and an unseen Shiva-presence signifying nirvāṇa-lakṣmī’s abode.

Characters & Entities

• Ānandakānana
• Nirvāṇa
• Saṃsāra
• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī/Ānandakānana is described as liberation’s own dwelling; one seeking freedom from saṃsāra should cherish and preserve the connection to this kṣetra through puṇya.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ānandakānana (Kāśī), praised as the abode of ‘nirvāṇa-lakṣmī’.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Puṇya (meritorious acts) is advised as the means by which a saṃsāra-fearing seeker should not ‘abandon’ the attained sacred opportunity.