Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 69

Devanagari script

संप्राप्य पुण्यसंभारैः प्राज्ञो वाराणसीं पुरीम् । न त्यजेत्सर्वभावेन महालाभैरपीरितः

Transliteration

saṃprāpya puṇyasaṃbhāraiḥ prājño vārāṇasīṃ purīm | na tyajetsarvabhāvena mahālābhairapīritaḥ

Translation

Wer durch angesammelte Vorräte an Verdienst die Stadt Vārāṇasī erreicht, der Weise soll sie niemals mit ganzem Herzen verlassen und sich nicht einmal durch große weltliche Gewinne fortlocken lassen.

Word by Word

• संप्राप्य: having attained
• संप्राप्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive), ‘having attained’; उपसर्ग: सम्-, प्र-

• पुण्यसंभारैः: by stores of merit
• पुण्यसंभारैः: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य + संभार (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुषार्थे ‘pious accumulations’

• प्राज्ञः: a wise person
• प्राज्ञः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• वाराणसीम्: Vārāṇasī
• वाराणसीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाराणसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पुरीम्: city
• पुरीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; वाराणसीम् इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषण-सम्बन्धः (apposition)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय

• त्यजेत्: should abandon
• त्यजेत्: Kriya (Injunction/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सर्वभावेन: entirely, with all one’s heart
• सर्वभावेन: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्व + भाव (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; तृतीया-प्रयोगार्थे अव्ययवत् (adverbial: ‘with all one’s being/entirely’)

• महालाभैः: by great gains
• महालाभैः: Karana (Cause/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + लाभ (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (‘great gains’)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha-bodhaka (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपवाद-अव्यय (particle: ‘even/also’)

• ईरितः: praised, urged (by)
• ईरितः: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ईरित (कृदन्त; √ईर्/ईरय् धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘praised/urged’

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vārāṇasī (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Muni (unnamed sage)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic moment: the teaching that reaching Kāśī is due to amassed merit and that the wise do not abandon her even for great gains.

Characters & Entities

• Vārāṇasī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is attained by great merit and should be valued above material advantage; spiritual opportunity outweighs worldly profit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vārāṇasī (Kāśī), praised as a uniquely meritorious city to reach and remain in.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific ritual is stated; the instruction is an ethical-spiritual resolve: do not forsake Kāśī even for major gains.