Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

अत्र यत्क्रियते क्षेत्रे शुभं वाऽशुभमेव वा । संवर्तेपि न तस्यांतस्तस्माच्छ्रेयः समाचरेत्

Transliteration

atra yatkriyate kṣetre śubhaṃ vā'śubhameva vā | saṃvartepi na tasyāṃtastasmācchreyaḥ samācaret

Translation

Was immer in diesem Kṣetra (Kāśī) getan wird—sei es heilsam oder selbst unheilsam—dessen Wirkung endet nicht einmal zur Zeit der kosmischen Auflösung (Pralaya). Darum soll man hier eifrig das wahrhaft Förderliche und dem Dharma Gemäße üben.

Word by Word

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक (locative adverb)

• यत्: whatever (that which)
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• क्रियते: is done
• क्रियते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• क्षेत्रे: in the sacred field (kṣetra)
• क्षेत्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• शुभम्: merit, auspicious (deed/result)
• शुभम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (कर्मरूपेण)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, विकल्पार्थक निपात (disjunctive particle)

• अशुभम्: demerit, inauspicious (deed/result)
• अशुभम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अशुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारणार्थक निपात (emphatic particle)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, विकल्पार्थक निपात

• संवर्ते: at the dissolution (cosmic end)
• संवर्ते: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संवर्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; (प्रलयकाले)

• अपि: even, also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय/अपि-भाव (also/even)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निषेधार्थक निपात (negation)

• तस्य: of that
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; (यत्कर्मणः)

• अन्तः: end, limit
• अन्तः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे (therefore/from that reason)

• श्रेयः: the better (good), welfare
• श्रेयः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रेयस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (कल्याणम्)

• समाचरेत्: one should practice
• समाचरेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+आ+चर् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (general statement)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A contemplative pilgrim in Kāśī stands at a ghat, seeing the city as an eternal kṣetra beyond cosmic cycles; above, a subtle vision of saṃvarta (cosmic dissolution) contrasts with the undiminished moral imprint of deeds.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Kṣetra (holy field)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In Kāśī, actions are spiritually weighty; therefore one should consciously choose dharma and the highest good (śreyas).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī as a whole is praised as the supreme Kṣetra where deeds carry extraordinary spiritual consequence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A general injunction: practice śreyas (righteous, spiritually beneficial conduct) while in the holy field.