Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

न तस्य पुनरावृत्तिः संसाराध्वनि कर्हिचित् । काशीकोशोयमतुलो न प्रकाश्यो यतस्ततः

Transliteration

na tasya punarāvṛttiḥ saṃsārādhvani karhicit | kāśīkośoyamatulo na prakāśyo yatastataḥ

Translation

For him there is never again any return to the road of saṃsāra. This incomparable “treasure of Kāśī” is not to be revealed everywhere or to just anyone.

Word by Word

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• tasya: of him/its
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• punarāvṛttiḥ: return again; recurrence
• punarāvṛttiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: punar-āvṛtti (प्रातिपदिक; punar + āvṛtti)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; अव्ययीभाव-समास (punar + āvṛtti)

• saṃsārādhvani: on the path of saṃsāra
• saṃsārādhvani: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃsāra-adhvan (प्रातिपदिक; saṃsāra + adhvan)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (saṃsārasya adhvan)

• karhicit: ever; at any time
• karhicit: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: karhicit (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• kāśīkośaḥ: the treasury/storehouse of Kāśī
• kāśīkośaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśī-kośa (प्रातिपदिक; kāśī + kośa)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (kāśyāḥ kośaḥ)

• ayam: this
• ayam: Viśeṣya-nirdeśa (Deictic/निर्देश)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• atulaḥ: incomparable
• atulaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: atula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying kāśīkośaḥ)

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• prakāśyaḥ: to be revealed; publishable
• prakāśyaḥ: Predicate adjective (Vidheyaviśeṣaṇa/विधेयविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra-kāśya (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √kāś (काश्) + य (यत्), with pra-)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive/passive potential), ‘to be made manifest’

• yataḥ: because
• yataḥ: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतुवाचक-अव्यय (causal indeclinable: ‘because/for’)

• tataḥ: therefore; from that
• tataḥ: Nidāna/Result marker (Tasmāt-artha/तस्मात्)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: तस्मात्-अर्थे अव्यय (ablatival adverb: ‘therefore/from that’)

Speaker

Śiva (implied, within Skanda’s narration of Kāśī-māhātmya teachings)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī / Avimukta-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī (Devī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A solemn teaching scene in Kāśī: the ‘treasure of Kāśī’ symbolized as a sealed palm-leaf bundle or radiant jewel, with the Ganga and ghats in the background; the teacher gestures to secrecy and liberation beyond saṃsāra.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Saṃsāra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True realization of Kāśī’s sacred secret leads to liberation—no return to saṃsāra.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), celebrated as a unique liberating kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed here; the verse emphasizes guarded transmission of a sacred secret (rahasya).