Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 86

Devanagari script

मैत्रावरुणिरुवाच । लोपामुद्रे स विप्रेंद्रो भोगान्भुक्त्वा मनोरमान् । मायापुर्यां कृतप्राणत्याग पुण्यबलेन च

Transliteration

maitrāvaruṇiruvāca | lopāmudre sa vipreṃdro bhogānbhuktvā manoramān | māyāpuryāṃ kṛtaprāṇatyāga puṇyabalena ca

Translation

Maitrāvaruṇi said: O Lopāmudrā, that foremost brāhmaṇa—having enjoyed delightful pleasures—by the power of the merit gained from relinquishing his life in Māyāpurī also attained further blessed states.

Word by Word

• मैत्रावरुणिः: Maitrāvaruṇi
• मैत्रावरुणिः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मैत्रावरुणि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन; वक्तृ-निर्देश (speaker)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person); एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• लोपामुद्रे: O Lopāmudrā
• लोपामुद्रे: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोपामुद्रा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative); एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन

• विप्रेन्द्रः: the best brāhmaṇa
• विप्रेन्द्रः: Karta (Apposition to सः)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक) + इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (विप्राणाम् इन्द्रः = best of brāhmaṇas)

• भोगान्: enjoyments
• भोगान्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भोग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; बहुवचन

• भुक्त्वा: having enjoyed
• भुक्त्वा: Pūrvakāla-kriyā
• Type: Verb
• Root: भुज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund)

• मनोरमान्: delightful
• मनोरमान्: Viśeṣaṇa (to Karma)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मनोरम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying भोगान्)

• मायापुर्याम्: in Māyāpurī
• मायापुर्याम्: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माया (प्रातिपदिक) + पुरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/Locative); एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (मायायाः पुरी)

• कृत-प्राणत्यागम्: having given up his life (having performed death)
• कृत-प्राणत्यागम्: Viśeṣaṇa/State (to implied subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु) + प्राण (प्रातिपदिक) + त्याग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन; विशेषण (implicit: “having performed giving up of life”); समासः—तत्पुरुषः; ‘कृत’ = क्त-प्रत्ययान्त

• पुण्यबलेन: by the power of merit
• पुण्यबलेन: Karaṇa (Instrument/Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक) + बल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental); एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (पुण्यस्य बलम्)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

Speaker

Maitrāvaruṇi

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Māyāpurī (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Lopāmudrā

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Maitrāvaruṇi narrates to Lopāmudrā: the brāhmaṇa, after enjoying delights, attains further blessed states by the merit of giving up life in Māyāpurī; Kāśī’s ghats and cremation fires are hinted as sacred, not grim.

Characters & Entities

• Maitrāvaruṇi
• Lopāmudrā
• Māyāpurī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Puranic dharma teaches that place-linked merit (sthāna-puṇya) can shape posthumous destiny when life is offered in a sanctified context.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Māyāpurī is named as the place where prāṇatyāga generated powerful merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Prāṇatyāga (relinquishing life) is referenced as an act bearing merit when connected to a sacred place; no procedural details are given.