Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 69

Devanagari script

तस्माद्विश्वेश्वराज्ञैव काशीवासेऽत्र कारणम् । असिश्च वरणा यत्र क्षेत्ररक्षाकृतौ कृते

Transliteration

tasmādviśveśvarājñaiva kāśīvāse'tra kāraṇam | asiśca varaṇā yatra kṣetrarakṣākṛtau kṛte

Translation

Therefore, it is by the command of Viśveśvara Himself that dwelling in Kāśī is so efficacious here—where Asi and Varaṇā were established for the protection of the sacred territory.

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: therefore, from that
• तस्मात्: Hetu/Apādāna (हेतु/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी विभक्ति (Ablative/5th); एकवचन

• विश्वेश्वराज्ञा: by Viśveśvara (Lord of the universe)
• विश्वेश्वराज्ञा: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्वेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd); एकवचन

• एव: indeed
• एव: Avadhāraṇa (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphatic particle: indeed/only)

• काशीवासे: in residence at Kāśī / in living in Kāśī
• काशीवासे: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी + वास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति (Locative/7th); एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (काश्यां वासः)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Deśa-adhikaraṇa (देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (adverb: here)

• कारणम्: the cause, the reason
• कारणम्: Pradhāna-vākya-artha (विधेय/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (वाक्ये विधेय-नाम)

• असिः: (the river) Asi
• असिः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन

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

• वरणा: (the river) Varaṇā
• वरणा: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वरणा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Deśa-adhikaraṇa (देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative adverb: where)

• क्षेत्ररक्षाकृतौ: in the act of protecting the sacred field
• क्षेत्ररक्षाकृतौ: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र + रक्षा + कृति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति (Locative/7th); एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुष (क्षेत्रस्य रक्षा = क्षेत्ररक्षा; तस्याः कृतिः = क्षेत्ररक्षाकृतिः)

• कृते: when done, having been performed
• कृते: Adhikaraṇa-viśeṣaṇa (अधिकरणविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु) → कृत (कृदन्त)
• Form: सप्तमी विभक्ति; एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त) ‘कृत’ = done; ‘क्षेत्ररक्षाकृतौ’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Asi–Varaṇā maryādā of Kāśī

Type: sangam

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahāmuni (addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Viśveśvara’s divine command manifests as two river-deities (Asi and Varaṇā) taking position like sentinels, forming a luminous perimeter around Kāśī.

Characters & Entities

• Viśveśvara
• Kāśī
• Asi
• Varaṇā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s sanctity and the potency of living there are rooted in Viśveśvara’s divine ordinance and the kṣetra’s sacred safeguarding.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), especially its boundary-sacrality associated with the rivers Asi and Varaṇā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, Kāśī-vāsa (residence in Kāśī) is praised; no specific snāna/dāna/japa is stated in this verse.