Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

पंचक्रोश्यापरिमिता तनुरेषा पुरी मम । अविच्छिन्नप्रमाणर्धिर्भक्तनिर्वाणकारणम्

Transliteration

paṃcakrośyāparimitā tanureṣā purī mama | avicchinnapramāṇardhirbhaktanirvāṇakāraṇam

Translation

Diese meine Stadt—als Pañcakrośī bemessen—ist mein eigener Leib; ihr heiliger Umfang ist ununterbrochen und sie ist den Bhaktas Ursache der Befreiung.

Word by Word

• पञ्च-क्रोशी: the five-krośa (region)
• पञ्च-क्रोशी: Visheshya (Head noun/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + क्रोशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (पञ्च क्रोशाः यस्याः/परिमाणम्)

• अपरिमिता: immeasurable, unbounded
• अपरिमिता: Predicate adjective (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ (उपसर्ग/निषेध) + परिमित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, √मा)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; नञ्-समासार्थक-विशेषण (unlimited)

• तनुः: body, form
• तनुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• एषा: this
• एषा: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

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

• मम: of me, my
• मम: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम

• अविच्छिन्न-प्रमाण-ऋद्धिः: unbroken measure/extent (continuous magnitude)
• अविच्छिन्न-प्रमाण-ऋद्धिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अविच्छिन्न (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, √छिद्) + प्रमाण (प्रातिपदिक) + ऋद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-श्रृङ्खला (अविच्छिन्नं प्रमाणं यस्याः सा; प्रमाणस्य ऋद्धिः)

• भक्त-निर्वाण-कारणम्: cause of devotees’ liberation
• भक्त-निर्वाण-कारणम्: Predicate nominative (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्त (प्रातिपदिक) + निर्वाण (प्रातिपदिक) + कारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (भक्तानां निर्वाणस्य कारणम्)

Speaker

Śiva (deduced; continuing first-person 'mama' in Kāśī context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pañcakrośī of Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devotees/Ṛṣis within Kāśī-māhātmya narration

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous map-like vision of Kāśī as Śiva’s body, encircled by the Pañcakrośī ring; pilgrims circumambulate an unbroken sacred perimeter, each milestone shining like a limb of the deity.

Characters & Entities

• Pañcakrośī
• Kāśī (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is not merely a city but Śiva’s embodied sacred field; dwelling or moving within its holy extent supports liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Pañcakrośī region of Kāśī—its famed sacred circuit and boundary.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse alludes to the Pañcakrośī sacred extent, implicitly supporting Pañcakrośī-yātrā (the pilgrimage circuit), though not phrased as a direct command.