Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 46

Devanagari script

अयमेव महालाभ इदमेव परं तपः । एतदेव महत्पुण्यं लब्धा वाराणसीह यत्

Transliteration

ayameva mahālābha idameva paraṃ tapaḥ | etadeva mahatpuṇyaṃ labdhā vārāṇasīha yat

Translation

Dies allein ist der größte Gewinn; dies allein ist die höchste Askese (tapas). Dies allein ist das erhabenste Verdienst: dass man hier Vārāṇasī erlangt hat.

Word by Word

• अयम्: this
• अयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• एव: indeed; only
• एव: Emphasis (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• महालाभः: great gain
• महालाभः: Predicate nominative (विधेय-प्रथमा)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा-लाभ (प्रातिपदिक; महा + लाभ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महान् लाभः)

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• एव: indeed; only
• एव: Emphasis (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय

• परम्: supreme
• परम्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• तपः: austerity; penance
• तपः: Predicate nominative (विधेय-प्रथमा)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• एव: indeed; only
• एव: Emphasis (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय

• महत्: great
• महत्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• पुण्यम्: merit; virtue
• पुण्यम्: Predicate nominative (विधेय-प्रथमा)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• लब्धा: obtained; attained
• लब्धा: Predicate (विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त (Past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘obtained/attained’ (agreeing with वाराणसी)

• वाराणसी: Vārāṇasī
• वाराणसी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाराणसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• ह: indeed (particle)
• ह: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ह (अव्यय)
• Form: स्मरण/उद्बोधनार्थक-अव्यय (expletive/emphatic particle)

• यत्: since; that (because)
• यत्: Connector (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सम्बन्धबोधक-अव्यय (relative particle ‘since/that’)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogues commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vārāṇasī (Kāśī/Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrims/seekers being instructed

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim arriving at Kāśī’s threshold, seeing temple spires and ghāṭas, overwhelmed with awe; the city appears as a radiant mandala where ‘gain, tapas, and puṇya’ converge.

Characters & Entities

• Vārāṇasī
• Kāśī
• Tapas
• Puṇya
• Mahālābha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Attaining Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) is equated with the pinnacle of spiritual profit, austerity, and merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vārāṇasī (Kāśī), explicitly named.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is stated; the verse is a categorical praise of the spiritual value of reaching Kāśī.