Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 88

Devanagari script

अनाशनं यः कुरुते मद्भक्त इह सुव्रतः । न तस्य पुनरावृत्तिः कल्पकोटिशतैरपि

Transliteration

anāśanaṃ yaḥ kurute madbhakta iha suvrataḥ | na tasya punarāvṛttiḥ kalpakoṭiśatairapi

Translation

Whoever, being My devotee and steadfast in righteous vows, observes fasting here—there is no return for him to rebirth, even after hundreds of crores of kalpas.

Word by Word

• अनाशनम्: fasting
• अनाशनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन् (नञ्-प्रत्यय) + आशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नञ्-समासार्थ (fasting/non-eating)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• कुरुते: does/undertakes
• कुरुते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• मद्-भक्तः: my devotee
• मद्-भक्तः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मद् (अस्मद्-प्रातिपदिक) + भक्त (कृदन्त; √भज्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मम भक्तः)

• इह: here
• इह: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (here/in this world)

• सुव्रतः: of good vow / well-disciplined
• सुव्रतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/प्रातिपदिक) + व्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (सुन्दरं व्रतं यस्य)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपात

• तस्य: for him/of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसक, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kala (Repetition/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरावृत्तिवाचक (again)

• आवृत्तिः: return (rebirth)
• आवृत्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आवृत्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कल्प-कोटि-शतैः: by hundreds of crores of aeons
• कल्प-कोटि-शतैः: Karana (Measure/Instrumental of extent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्प (प्रातिपदिक) + कोटि (प्रातिपदिक) + शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (कल्पानां कोटीनां शतानि)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (even)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration, typically to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Interlocutor within Kāśīkhaṇḍa frame (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devoted pilgrim fasting in Kāśī: seated near a shrine with a lamp, japa-mālā in hand, calm face; above, a cosmic timeline motif (kalpa cycles) dissolving, symbolizing ‘no return’ beyond aeons.

Characters & Entities

• Avimukta (implied)
• Kāśī (implied)
• vrata
• kalpa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion joined with disciplined vow (vrata) in a sacred kṣetra is presented as a direct cause for freedom from rebirth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī/Avimukta is implied as the ‘here’ where such fasting yields extraordinary liberation-fruit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Anāśana (fasting) performed with bhakti and steadfast vrata-observance is prescribed as a liberation-oriented discipline.